Clear Sailing
by plutospawn
Summary: Just because Zelos has been destroyed doesn't mean that everyone lives happily ever after. One of the main three disappears in what can only be called a tragedy of good intentions. COMPLETE
1. Desperation

Author's notes:  I decided to play Skies of Arcadia after having last played it approximately a year ago.  As luck would have it, my Dreamcast in the meantime felt the need to break.  So to cope with the withdrawal symptoms, I started to write this.  Due to the length of time between the last time I played the game and now, some characterizations may be off, or certain characters may be on Crescent Isle without explanation when the game's epilogue may say otherwise.  This is not intentional and if anyone sees a mistake along these lines, I'd appreciate it if you'd drop me a line either in the guestbook or by email.  Thank you and enjoy!

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Chapter 1:

            Startled, the girl dropped the picture frame.  It hit the wooden floor of her cabin with a crash, shards of glass spraying towards her bare feet.  She let out a yelp as she spun to face the doorway and her intruder.

            "Pow!" she gasped.  "You scared me!"

            The purple-gray huskra barked again and scampered towards her.

            "Hang on a second, buddy." she laughed lightly.  "There's glass all over the place and I don't want your little paws getting hurt.  I'm such a klutz!"

            She bent down and scooped the huskra up into her arms.  Pow nuzzled his cold nose against her neck as she scratched his ears.  She placed him on her bed.

            She shook her head.  "And here I was going to pack this last so it wouldn't get broke." 

            She crouched in front of the ruined frame.  With a careful flick of her fingers, she brushed away stray glass.  A drop of blood formed around the tip of her ring finger, a glistening red jewel.  She extracted the picture from the destroyed frame and joined Pow on the bed.   The huskra wagged his tail.

            "Yes, Pow, I'm packing." she said.  "Don't worry.  It's not you.  It's just… everything, really."

            The huskra propped his head on her lap.  She began to stroke his head absentmindedly.

            "It was loads of fun in the beginning."  She sighed.  "We were all adventurers, Blue Rogues, best friends.  But I got stupid.  Selfish, really.  I thought I could have more than that.  I should have realized that I was intruding on something that was much greater."

            Pow began to whimper quietly.  She pulled him up into her arms.

            "No, it's nothing like that, Pow." she assured.  "They tried to include me, they really did.  It's not their fault.  It's just that I'm not needed anymore."

            She giggled as the first tear escaped her eye.  The huskra propped his front paws against her chest so that he could lap at her salt tears.

            "They deserve one another." she insisted.  "Really.  She's so beautiful and sweet and caring and kind.  And he deserves the best.  They'll have gorgeous babies together with their mommy's eyes and their daddy's smile.  Really."

            She wiped the last of her tears away with the back of her hand and pushed the huskra off her lap.  She reached under her bed and pulled out her boots.

            "So you understand why I have to leave now, right Pow?"  She slid her feet into the boots.  "Crescent Isle is such a happy place.  I don't want to wreck things."

            Pow barked, his tail wagging fiercely.

            "What's that, Pow?"  The girl's face lit up.

            The huskra barked again.

            "You want to come with me?" she asked.

            The huskra yipped.  She looked at the picture one last time before placing it inside her meager sack of belongings.

            She smiled.  "Well, let's head out before anyone tries to stop us and change our minds!"


	2. Realization

2:

            "Captain?"

            Vyse lifted his head from a book of atlases.  The pages had worked patterns into his cheek and his eye-patch was on crooked.

            He grinned sheepishly.  "Come in."

            The girl had her head down, concentrating on a platter of steaming food.  She crept into the Captain's Quarters and set the platter on Vyse's desk.

            "You never came down for supper, so Kirala thought that I should bring it to you."  She offered a timid smile.  "Are Fina and Aika with you?  We didn't see them at supper either."

            Vyse pushed the atlas book aside and pulled the platter towards him.  "It smells delicious, Urala.  Thank you."

            Urala blushed severely.  She tried to hide behind her shoulder length black hair.

            Vyse blew at the food on his fork before eating it.  Fish flavored with exotic Yafutoman spices that his tongue had not yet become accustomed to.  Tasty, if a bit hot.

            "I haven't seen those two all day, actually." he said after a gulp of water.  "I would have thought that they would have been busy with arrangements since Enrique and Moegi are coming to visit."

            "The Empress is coming?"  Urala's cheeks darkened further.  "No one told me.  I need to make preparations for a feast in her honor."  She clapped a hand to her mouth.  "In Enrique's honor as well.  If you'll excuse me..."

            Urala bowed deeply and headed for the door.

            With Urala gone, Vyse tugged his eye patch back into place.  After a few more bites of his meal, a quick hand through his hair and a glance to his wrinkled jacket, he was ready to face his crew.

            The young captain left his quarters and paused at on the balcony that overlooked the island.  Vyse inhaled the salty air, satisfied to the point that he was ready to burst.  Even as dusk approached, bathing the ground with the light of the two adjacent moons, the island was still bustling with activity.

            Kirala was below, busy barking orders at Marco who obliged, albeit sulking as he worked.  Vyse could hear the steady humming from Kalifa's tent, the fortune teller must have been lost deep in meditation.  Osman was screaming at koketa, her yelps of "Ruined shipment!" barely drowning out the birds' incessant "Looks tasty."  But what really put a smile on his face was the muted laughter and song resonating from the pub.  It truly was a beautiful place to live.  Crescent Isle, his isle.

            Vyse climbed down the lookout ladder and hopped off the last step to solid ground.  He walked over to Kirala and smiled.

            Kirala's face was soiled with a days worth of worth.  She dipped her head to the captain politely.  "Good evening, Captain." she said.  "Marco and I were just finishing up for the day."

            "Oh.  What are you two up to?"

            A pleased smile crept to Kirala's lips.  "It's a secret, Captain." she replied.  "Izmael and I have been planning it for weeks.  We're going to build you something that will make the floating gardens of Yafutoma pale in comparison."

            Vyse nodded.  "I can't wait."

            Kirala bowed and quietly slipped away, whispering to Marco.

            Osman waddled over in a huff.  The yellow taffeta strained over her bulk as her bosom heaved with exertion.  Vyse tried to keep a straight face as she began to rave.

            "Ruined!  All ruined!" she declared.

            "What's ruined?" Vyse asked.

            "Kabal skewers!" Osman exclaimed.  "I special ordered them from Nasr and those disgusting, degenerate fowl," she thrust an accusatory finger at the koketa.  "managed to escape their pens and devour my skewers." 

            "Is it okay that the koketa eat meat?" Vyse wondered aloud.

            "Never mind those demonic birds!" Osman wailed.  "Now I'm doomed to starve—I can't wait for another shipment."

            "There's a lot of fish and grain left and I know that Urala would be more than happy to cook for you." Vyse suggested.

            Osman laughed.  "Don't get me wrong, Captain." she said, batting her fan at the humid air.  "I love Yafutoman dishes as much as the next person, but having them day in and day out is just a bit wearing on a person don't you think?  Besides, Urala is a sweet girl and all, but are you sure she's really qualified to prepare dishes of such caliber…"

            "I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out, Osman." he assured her.  "I'll get back to you on it in the morning.  If you'll excuse me…" 

            Vyse backed away from Osman and headed towards the pub.  A lantern by the door stood out brightly against the dimming daylight.  Beyond the door, a boisterous chantey was nearing its end.  Vyse smiled and stepped into the pub.

            Urala was already busying herself with cooking for the next day's festivities.  Don was in his usual spot, milking a jack of loqua with a curious grin on his face.  Izmael and Brabham were joking amongst themselves while Domingo gloated in the corner.

            Pinta ran up to greet Vyse.  "Welcome, Captain!" he cried, waving a mug in the air.

            "Thanks, Pinta." Vyse replied.  He could feel the heat rise to his face, but as long as no one else noticed it, it would be okay.

            Vyse walked behind the bar and fished out a mug.  Urala immediately scurried to his side and tried to pry the mug from his hands.

            "Please, Captain.  Let me get that for you."  She whisked the mug from Vyse and filled it with loqua.

            "You didn't have to do that." Vyse protested.

            "It's my job, Captain." Urala replied.  She presented the mug to him with a curt nod.

            "Thanks."  Vyse sat down on a free stool by Don.

            "Evening, Captain." Don acknowledged him.

            "Hi, Don."  Vyse took a sip of his loqua.  Far too strong.  He set it down casually.  "Have you seen either Fina or Aika?"

            Don took a long swig from his mug.  "Nope.  I would have thought those two lovely ladies would be attached to each of your arms."

            Vyse laughed nervously.  He pretended to sip his loqua.  "I thought that I would find them in here."

            Don shrugged.  "I try not to pay attention to those two." he explained. "I'm too old to be wasting time fawning over uninterested women."

            "Thanks anyway."  Vyse pushed his mug aside as he stood up.

            "No problem, Captain." Don replied.  "Oh, I was wondering, maybe you could help me out."  He gave Vyse a peculiar look.

            "What do you need help with?" Vyse asked.

            "Well," Don seemed to be searching for the correct words.  "I'm older than you.  Granted, I spent a lot of my life wasting away in Esperanza, but I…  I was thinking about maybe becoming the captain of my own ship.  Sailing around the world myself.  Make something of myself."

            "That sounds great!"  Vyse cut Don off before he could ramble further.  "Do you need money for a ship?"

            "You'd help me out?"  Don shot him a swarthy grin.

            "Of course." Vyse said.  "We'll talk more about this tomorrow."

            Vyse left the tavern and walked towards the crew cabins.  It wasn't like Fina or Aika to stay holed up all day in their rooms, but they weren't anywhere else.  The captain was careful to step over any stray koketa as he made his way to the first room.

            Cupil popped up from under the space beneath the door.  He flew towards Vyse, chirping merrily.  The bizarre Silvite animal circled Vyse's head before zipping back towards the crack in the door.  The silver colored creature squirmed beneath the space before disappearing completely.

            Vyse knocked on the door and waited.  No answer.  He cracked the door open slowly, so as to not startle Fina if she was in there.

            Cupil whipped towards Vyse's face and morphed into an eye-patch for his other eye.  Vyse laughed and brushed Cupil off, who quickly ballooned into his true form.  The bulbous creature nuzzled its mouth into Vyse's cheek affectionately.

            Fina was nowhere in sight.  The thought of the Silvite girl being anywhere without her pet made his brows furrow.  Something wasn't right.

            A large sheet of paper rested on Fina's bed.  It was a mishmash of a drawing with Aika's heavy hand combined with Fina's delicate scrawling lines, but that was part of its charm.  Titled, "To Enrique and Moegi from All of Us," it was a picture of the entire crew of the Delphinus.  Vyse could pick out Aika from the exaggerated braids and Fina from the large eyes and Cupil; he knew which picture was Marco from the smattering of freckles and Meridia was twisted in an unusual dance pose.  Kirala had her hammer, Osman had her fan and glasses; Ilchymis had a vial of alchemist's potion and Khazim had an enormous cannon—they even remembered to include Pow.

            Vyse felt the heat rise in his ears as he spotted his depiction on the paper.  With all the others, the girls had split up who did who, but it seemed that they shared duties on his picture.  It was obvious to him that Fina had painstakingly drawn in his smile over light smudge marks where she had rubbed out all her prior attempts.  Aika had taken care of his eye-patch and hair, making him appear ridiculous.  Vyse laughed to himself as he rolled the drawing up and secured it with a nearby silk ribbon.  
            No doubt the girls were going to try and get everyone to sign it.  If they weren't in Fina's room, then they had to be in Aika's.  Vyse crept from Fina's room.

            In front of Aika's door, Vyse raised his hand then thought better of it.  Aika was his best friend; she'd think he had gone crazy for knocking on her door.  Vyse opened the door and walked in.

            Before him, her green eyes dazed, Fina knelt in a pile of broken glass.  In her hands she cradled a damaged picture frame.  Vyse immediately grappled for his cutlass and eyed the room for anything suspicious.  Fina blinked and began to take notice of him.

            Fina raised the picture frame towards Vyse helplessly.  "She's gone."


	3. Chasing Happiness

3:

            "Pow… maybe I didn't plan this as good as I should have."

            As the small ship, Salvation,drifted lazily in the breeze, its captain had begun to doubt herself.  Aika lay motionless on her back, eyeing the sky with her only crewman curled up next to her.

            The huskra sighed and propped his head up on her stomach.  Aika laughed softly and scratched his soft, pointed ears.  Above her, the sky was a bright blue.  It would be clear sailing for the remainder of the day.

            Aika had never wanted to be the captain of her own ship.  That was Vyse's job.  He was the leader; he was the one who was capable of inspiring loyalty and courage in his crew, not Aika.  Aika was just… well, hungry for starters.  She had left Crescent Isle in a hurry and hadn't had the foresight to sweet talk Urala out of some of her mouth-watering dumplings.

            Come to think of it, Aika hadn't considered much aside from fleeing the small island.  She had initially planned to go directly to Sailors Island, then realized that that would be too obvious if someone decided to track her down.  Next, her thoughts had traveled to Pirates Isle, but she knew she wouldn't be able to face Vyse's parents and any questions they might have.  So until she could make up her mind, Aika was just floating.

            "Maybe we could go to Daccat's Island…" she thought aloud.

            Pow sighed and stretched out on the deck, his tail flopping limply.

            "I guess you're right." Aika admitted to the huskra.  "Daccat's Island requires teamwork and I wouldn't want to split up with you either."

            Pow perked his head up to look at her, one of his ears flopping forward.  Aika felt her lips being tugged into a pout as she noticed the animal's naïve look.  The only reason her trusty crewman had joined her on her journey was because she had lured him onto the ship with leftover lunch scraps.

            "Well, we can't just sit here all day, Pow." she decided as she hoisted herself up onto her elbows.  "I know!  We could head to Nasrad and I could get a job at that restaurant that I worked at with Fina… if it wasn't destroyed when Ramirez thrashed the place."

            Aika stood up and brushed the back of her yellow skirt off.  She headed towards the hatchway that would lead beneath the ship's deck, but was stopped by the sound of cannon fire in the distance.  The thundering crash was the signature of a G-Type cannon, outdated, but big.

            At Pow's urgent bark, Aika ran back over to the edge of the deck.  She flung a hand over her brow to block the sun's glare.  In the distance the silhouette of an ominous ship edged closer.

            Aika groaned.  "The Blackbeard." she muttered.  "What is _he_ up to?"

            She began to hop up and down, flailing her arms as the other ship came closer.  The Blackbeard erupted in cannon fire again that landed curiously near to Aika's ship.  Pow began to growl as his captain's jaw hung open.

            "Baltor, you bozo!" she cried out.  "You nearly hit me!"

            "Well, that was my aim." came the reply.

            "What?"

            As the Blackbeard neared, it began to circle the Salvation.  Aika grabbed Pow and pulled him into her arms to calm him.

            Baltor leaned on his deck's railing casually.  His clothing appeared to be new, although his beard desperately needed a trim.  He spoke with a conversational tone.

            "I'll admit I appreciated yours and Captain Vyse's help in killing that Silvite boy." he said simply.  "But I made a promise that afterwards nothing would change between us.  There's only enough room in the sky for one band of pirates and you Blue Rogues have outlived your welcome."

            "Our help?" Aika spluttered.  "Why, you ungrateful slug!  If it wasn't for Vyse, the whole world would have felt the Rains of Destruction!"

            Pow yelped as Aika's arms tightened around him.

            "Be that as it may, darling," Baltor flashed her his teeth.  "I intend to make sure that you're not around to write the history books."

            "So what happens now?" she demanded.  "Are you just going to blast me out of the sky like a coward, or do you have the guts to try and board me?"

            Baltor chuckled.  "That depends.  Does the huskra bite?"

            "Pow doesn't bite." Aika snarled over the huskra's barks.  "But I just might, you dirty, shameless scoundrel!"

            "You understand it's business, don't you?"  Baltor looked hurt.

            "I didn't realize that back-stabbing numbskullery was part of business!" Aika retorted.

            Baltor sighed.  "If it's all the same to you then, Missy, I think I'll stay on my ship." he explained.  "There's no real reason for me to risk you using your Lambda Burst on me or my crew.  But if you must know, I really think it's a shame, especially that Vyse couldn't be here to share your fate."

            Aika stuck out her tongue and raspberried the Black Pirate before running towards the hatchway with Pow in her arms.  If she could just get to the life rafts, she could escape, but with Baltor's ship being so close she might not get that chance.

            The ship tremored under the impact of a shell and Aika and Pow were flung through the hatchway door.  The huskra yipped frantically, but Aika kept a firm grip on him.  The life rafts were only a room away, they could make it.

            Aika leapt to her feet and scrambled towards the life rafts.  The constant quaking caused by the bombardment of cannon fire made Aika question her footing as she made a beeline towards the room.

            She fumbled with the latch to the door frantically.  The ship rattled and she stumbled forward, splinters from the unfinished wood of the door stabbing into her hand.  Aika yelped, but continued to struggle with the door.

            A sickening crack rang in the girl's ears as a shell finally breached the ship.  The stinging wind struck her as she was sucked from the hull.

            Pow howled, but Aika kept him pinned snugly to her chest.  So this is how it's going to end, she thought as she tumbled through the air.

            Aika wondered what the history books would say about it.  They would probably forget about her to make room in the pages for the great empire of Vyse and Fina.  Perhaps she would be mentioned in a tiny paragraph, a ding-bat Blue Rogue who got too big for her britches and suffered the consequences because of it.

            She thought briefly of her parents and how she had always fancied they died.  Her father would tightly grip her mother in his arms.  Her blonde hair would whip around her, tangling with his red locks.  One final embrace as they plummeted into Deep Sky.  Aika would share in their fate.  For the first time in months, she was truly happy.


	4. Tension

4:

            "Vyse, please." Fina pleaded.  "No ship docked here, Aika had to have left by her own wishes."

            Fina had long abandoned following her friend as he stalked back and forth in his Captain's Quarters.  A new globe, a gift from Izmael, rattled on the table as Vyse's feet slammed roughly into the floor.

            "Impossible!"  Worry lines creased his forehead.  "You saw all that broken glass.  Aika's a neat freak, she'd never leave a mess like that—is everyone else accounted for on the island?  Maybe someone took her."

            Cupil chortled nervously as he zipped out of Vyse's way.

            "How could you say that?" Fina asked quietly.

            At the peculiarity of her voice, Vyse stopped his pacing.  The look she gave him made Vyse feel as though he had slapped her.

            "Your crew," she murmured.  "they, we, adore you, would do anything for you.  How could you doubt us?"

            Vyse sighed and shook his head.  "I don't." he said.  "I just can't believe that Aika would leave.  She wouldn't.  Why would she want to?"

            "I don't know." Fina whispered.  "Maybe that's the problem."

            "I still want to look into any ships leaving Crescent Isle." Vyse persisted.  "I also want to know if anyone else besides Aika is missing."

            "The Salvation was marked as leaving nearly twelve hours ago.  All of your crew is accounted for except for Pow.  Now, Captain, is a huskra a likely kidnapping suspect?"

            Vyse and Fina turned their heads to the voice at the door.  Cupil squealed enthusiastically.  Enrique stood, weary but exuberant.  He offered Vyse a bow before Fina ran up and hugged him.

            Vyse grinned.  "Enrique, we're friends.  I don't call you 'Emperor,' why should you call me 'Captain?'"

            "I earned the title Emperor by birthright," Enrique explained.  "you, my friend, actually worked hard for the title you possess.  You deserve to be called 'Captain,' Captain."

            "I take it you've heard of our problem, Enrique."  Vyse pulled a decanter of fine loqua from a cabinet.  He poured a glass and handed it to the Emperor.

            "Yes."  Enrique nodded, taking the glass.

            "We were planning a big feast in your honor." Fina murmured.  "I have no idea why Aika would disappear, especially with you and Moegi coming to visit."

            "Maybe she just needed a break."  Enrique shrugged taking a sip of loqua.

            "She would have told me." Vyse insisted.

            "Regardless of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance," Enrique offered a warm smile.  "Aika is resourceful.  I place my full confidence in her abilities."

            "I still want to know why she left and where she's going." Vyse said.  "Just in case."

            "What do you suggest we do then, Captain?" Enrique asked.

            "Well, all signs point to Aika leaving of her own free will."  Vyse sighed.  "So I don't think we need the entire crew and the Delphinus out looking for her.  A small ship would work."

            "I'm always willing to help." Enrique offered.  "But I won't allow Moegi to be part of it this time."

            "But you and Moegi are inseparable."  Fina shot him a confused look.

            "And I would have it no other way."  Enrique laughed.  "But I refuse to put my wife in harm's way."

            "You mean that Galcien, Ramirez and Zelos weren't harm's way?"  Vyse grinned.

            Enrique's cheeks were flooded with crimson.  "It was different then." he stammered.  "This really should wait until Moegi and I announce it together, but…"

            Fina cocked her head to one side.  "I don't understand."

            Vyse chuckled.  "So the Valuan and Yafutoman Empires are going to be officially joined, huh?"

            The color in Enrique's face darkened.  "If you must put it that way… then, yes." he murmured.

            "Congratulations!"  Vyse shook Enrique's free hand vigorously.  Vyse caught Fina's naïve expression and added, "A baby!  Are you hoping for a son or daughter?"

            "Well, I know that Moegi would like a son."  Enrique smiled meekly.  "But I'm just happy that I have everything I could have ever wished for."

            "So you want a girl."  Vyse laughed.

            Enrique blushed again.  "It doesn't matter." he insisted.  "But if it were to be a daughter, I know that she would sit on my knee while I brushed her hair and…"  Enrique scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.  "Well, it doesn't matter."

            "When can we expect the baby to be born?" Fina asked.

            "The doctors say in about six to seven months."  Enrique replied.

            Vyse patted Enrique on the shoulder.  "If you two need anything, all you have to do is ask." he said.  "But I've got to find Don and speak with him for a while."

            "I should get back to my wife, as well." Enrique agreed.  "It's been nice talking to you."

            Vyse opened the door to the Captain's Quarters and let Enrique out.  Fina followed on his heels with Cupil wrapped around her arm and Vyse locked the door behind them.

            The entire crew of the Delphinus had converged at the tavern.  Urala busied herself with presenting a variety of food to her empress, while Kirala watched her sister with a proud little smirk.  Enrique quickly joined his wife's side, placing a protective hand over her stomach.  Vyse scanned the crowd for Don and quickly found him in his corner with Marco, who was pestering the rugged sailor for a mug of loqua.

            Vyse came up behind the younger boy and ruffled his red hair.  Marco glowered, but agreed to run down to the dock and make sure the New Hope was ready to sail.  The former street urchin hurried to his task.

            "If you don't mind me asking, Captain," Don interjected.  "why are you preparing a ship when Enrique and the missus just arrived?"

            "Aika's disappeared." Vyse replied simply.

            Don began to choke on his loqua.  He swallowed hard.  "What?"

            "I don't want to worry any of the crew because it looks like it was her choice to leave." Vyse explained.  "But she left without telling anyone, so I'm concerned."

            "So why are you telling me?"  Don took a cautious sip of his loqua.

            "I just have a bad feeling about it, but at the same time I can't make the entire crew chase after one girl who is gone because she wanted to be gone."  Vyse sighed.  "I want you to try to find her."

            "Why me?" Don asked.  The days worth of growth on his chin made the shadows on his face seem darker.

            "You're a good sailor that I can trust." Vyse said.  "Besides, weren't you the one who wanted his own ship yesterday?"

            Shock registered in Don's face.  "You're going to give me a ship?"  He spluttered loqua.  "Just like that?"

            "You're helping me track down my best friend; of course I'm going to give you a ship." Vyse smiled.  "But I would have given you the ship anyways."

            "A question, Captain."  Don scratched at the stubble on his face.  "I'll need a crew, right?"

            "Assemble a small one, enough to man the ship's cannons."  Vyse nodded.

            "Could I have Urala?"

            "Why don't you ask her?" Vyse replied.  "I'm not sure what she'll say, though, with Moegi in town."

            "I'll do that, Captain."

            As Don walked off, Vyse breathed a sigh of relief.  If it were up to him, he would have left the moment after he discovered that Aika was missing, but it seemed that lately his responsibilities as Captain were weighing him down.  He couldn't just abandon his crew and his duties, especially if she really did leave of her own accord.  And if she didn't want to come back?  Vyse would have to come back to Crescent Isle empty-handed to a disappointed crew.  Something about sending Don out soothed the Blue Rogue, but still he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that threatened to constrict his breathing. 

            Vyse glanced up and caught sight of Fina.  The way her forehead wrinkled in a concerned look almost made him laugh.  Fina waved him over to where she was standing with Enrique and Moegi.  Vyse grudgingly joined the festivities.


	5. Discovery

5:

            "Isn't this exciting?" Pinta chirped.  "The open air before us, four strong men, the world is ours to take!"

            "Pinta," Don dropped his binoculars from his eyes.  "did anyone ever tell you that you talk a lot?"

            Pinta looked up at him and blinked.  "Why, no." he replied.  "Is it true that your first pick for the crew was Urala?"

            "Where did you hear that?" Don demanded.

            Pinta laughed nervously as he took a few steps away from Don's fist.  "It's not so much that I heard of your request, but rather of how it upset Kirala."

            Don nodded and sighed.  He merely asked Urala to fly on his ship and Kirala flew into a fury.

            _"Are you out of your mind, sailor?" she had barked._

_            "I wasn't speaking to you."  Is what he should have said.  Instead, Don had been so overcome with shock; any semblance of words fell into the back of his throat._

_            "Can't you see that the Empress is here?" Kirala demanded.  "Why would you even think that Urala would go off gallivanting with you when she needs to be here to see to the Empress' needs?"  With that, Kirala shot Urala a glare before storming off towards Enrique and Moegi._

_            Urala gave Don a quick apologetic smile.  As she bowed, a raven lock of hair fell from behind her ears and she scurried after her older sister._

            Why had Don thought to have her in his crew anyway?  Clearly it was a gut instinct of sorts, which he likened to his decision to travel to Esperanza, an instinct that wasn't to be trusted.  Not that it mattered anyway, since she had decided against joining him.

            "Why did you want Urala in your crew?" Pinta asked.

            "Well, you tasted that slop Khazim made for lunch, didn't you?"  Don smirked as he noticed the color in Pinta's face darken.

            "You have a very valid point." Pinta murmured.

            "But it's just us four now," Don said.  "so how good are you at cooking, Pinta?"

            Pinta giggled.  "I can make a meal that's fit to live off of, if that's what you mean." he replied.  "Nothing that could compare to Urala's or Polly's skill, mind you, but something decent enough to eat."

            "That's good to know." Don grunted.  "How about you try your hand at dinner tonight?"

            "I thought that it had already been decided that it would be Marco's turn tonight." Pinta pointed out politely.

            Don laughed gruffly.  "Are you sure you want to find out what that kid'll cook up?" he asked.  "After living for years in the Valuan slums, Marco's just surprised that bread can be white and soft."

            "I suppose I could whip up something tonight." Pinta agreed.

            "Hey, Don!" Marco came running towards the other two sailors and skidded to a halt.

            "Marco, while we're on this ship, call me 'Captain,' okay?"  Despite the seriousness of the order, Don couldn't help but smirk.

            In the two years that he had known the boy, Marco had grown quite a bit.  Still, the shirt that Vyse had given him was far too big.  Fina had offered to alter it to Marco's size, but the boy refused, probably under the assumption that it would no longer be "Vyse's shirt."

            "Whatever, _Captain_."  Marco rolled his eyes.  "I just thought you'd like to know that Khazim said he spotted something."

            "What did he find?" Don demanded.

            "I don't know." Marco retorted.  "Maybe something that resembled a ship.  We are looking out for a ship, right?"

            "Listen here, you sad excuse for a gnome," Don growled.  "come back and talk to me when you're man enough to grow some chest hair."

            Don stalked across the deck, leaving Pinta to burst into tense fits of laughter and Marco to scowl.

            He walked from the bow to the stern.  Khazim stood, his back facing Don, as he stared out at the open sky, agitated.

            "Marco said that you wanted to speak with me." Don called out.

            Khazim turned to face his captain, unstartled.  His cat-like grace coupled with the way the olive skin of his bare chest glistened beneath the sun made Don feel embarrassed.  He tugged on his mustache awkwardly before forcing himself to join the gunner by the stern.

            "I think I may have found what we've been looking for."  There was a certainty to Khazim's voice that was only betrayed by his hesitance to speak those words.

            "Where?"

            As Don lifted his binoculars to his eyes, Khazim pointed down and to the left.  A few leagues below and slowly sinking, what appeared to be half a ship was haphazardly floating in the sky.

            "I hope you're wrong, buddy." Don muttered.  He slipped the binoculars into a pocket in his jacket and gave Khazim a grim look.  "Go grab those other two and bring them below deck.  I'm going to see if I can bring this ship on level with that salvage."

            "What will we do after that happens?" Khazim asked.

            "We'll find out when that happens." Don replied dryly.

            Khazim set off to find Pinta and Marco while Don headed below deck.  Don smirked as he stepped deeper into the bowels of the ship.  He was overjoyed that Vyse would gift him with a vessel at all, but whoever thought to place the crew's cabins by the engine room must have been insane.

            Don walked through the Engine Room, careful not to disturb the machinery that was harvesting the energy of Blue Moon Stones.  He wondered briefly how long the Engine Room would remain clean.  Don entered the Steering Room and stepped towards the ship's steering equipment.

            He stared at the map on the wall to contemplate the best route to fly to get to the salvage.  Khazim joined him shortly, followed by Marco and Pinta.

            "Why do we all have to be down here?" Marco asked.

            "I've got a pretty heavy hand when it comes to steering." Don explained.  "I don't want to _accidentally_ fling you off the deck if I pull the ship starboard really quick."

            Marco groaned and shook his head.  Don ignored him and directed the ship south, towards the salvage.  Once they were on level with the shipwreck, he had the New Hope anchored and the crew headed back up to the deck.

            Don's stomach tied itself into a knot when he caught sight of the other ship's anchor.  Emblazoned across the front it read: _Salvation._

            "Oh dear…" Pinta murmured.

            Don pushed the bile back from his throat.  "Don't just stand there." he commanded.  "We need to look for survivors.  Go!"

            Khazim nodded and grabbed Marco by the arm.  The two carefully boarded the broken ship and began to explore it.  Don began to pace from the starboard to port.  Pinta kept his eyes feverishly on the wreckage.

            When the two returned, Marco immediately excused himself and made a beeline towards the Crew's Cabins.  Pinta shot Don a panicked look before running after the boy.  Khazim's liquid black eyes were red-rimmed.  He swallowed hard as he searched for the correct words.

            Don could feel his lungs collapsing.  His heart pounded frantically.  "Just say it, Khazim." he urged.

            "There were no survivors aboard the Salvation." Khazim forced out.  His lips pulled back in what appeared to be an intended sob, but he pressed on.  "All the life rafts were accounted for.  There is no way Miss Aika could have survived."

            Don had suspected just as much, yet, for some reason, being told by Khazim felt much worse than just believing.  The pressure in his chest was gone, but in its place was a bizarre numbness.  He felt empty.

            "Is there anyway to tell what happened?" Don asked quietly.

            "All I know is that she must have been attacked by another ship with outdated cannons." Khazim offered.  He pinched the bridge of his nose fiercely as he tried to blink back tears.

            "Let's plot a course back to Crescent Isle."  Don threw his arm around the larger man's shoulders.  He led Khazim back to the Crew's Cabins.  They could all use a stiff drink and Don wasn't about to stop them.


	6. After the Fall

6:

            "Is she dead?  Can we eat her?  Is she dead?  Can we eat her?"

            "Shut your yap, you beast!  We're in the presence of a lady."

            "Whooo hooo pretty lady.  I am lost.  Help me.  Help me, pretty lady.  Whooo hooo."

            "Who taught you to say that, Willy?  You're not thinking of infringing on my territory, are you?"

            "Pretty lady.  Pretty lady!"

            Aika's brown eyes opened into slits as she pushed herself up in the bed.  She rubbed her eyes as she tried to take in her surroundings.  She was sitting on a simple queen size bed in a room that had a sleek wood finish.  The parrot whistling and making cat calls in her direction let her know that she was safe.

            "Good to see you finally up." Gilder said.

            "Up?"  Aika scratched the back of her head.  "When was I down?"

            "Surely you remember your little freefall through the air." he pressed.  He sat in a chair by the bed and Aika realized that she didn't know how long he had been there.

            "Freefall?…"

            "You know, I used to fantasize about beautiful women raining down from the sky." Gilder continued.  "I never realized what a hazard they would be."

            The air pirate tugged at the sling around his right arm until he was able to produce a metal case of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.  Aika watched him, dazed, as he tried to open the case with his good hand.

            "Did I do that to your arm?" Aika pointed towards his sling.

            Gilder looked down at his useless limb and chuckled softly.  "Wrist, actually and yes, you did." He replied.  "You may not look like you weigh much now, but when you're soaring through the air at terminal velocity you can pack quite the punch."  He chuckled then added, "Especially to a half-drunk captain who's feebly trying to save you from your untimely death."

            "Oh my gosh!" Aika exclaimed.  "Pow!"

            "Is fine." Gilder reassured her.  "He's already made best friends with my cook."

            "I'm glad that he's alright." Aika sighed.

            "You might be," Gilder smirked.  "but my dear friend Willy doesn't share your opinion."

            "Oh?"  Aika cast a sidelong glance at the brightly colored parrot.

            Willy fluffed his wings out with an air of self-importance.  "Help me.  Help me!" he cawed.

            "Your huskra seemed to think he could make a quick snack out of poor Willy." Gilder explained.  He pointed to his shoulder supporting the sling.  "Without his usual perch, he doesn't have many places to hide either."

            "I'm sorry, Gilder."  Aika reached up and found a lock of red hair that had been torn loose from her braids and tangled during her plummet through the air.  She tugged on the hair as she tried to concentrate on anything but the heat rising to her cheeks.

            "Don't worry about it."  Gilder finally managed to open his cigarette case.  "Willy was in need of a good workout.  What's the use of a portly parrot?"

            "Pretty lady help me.  Help me, pretty lady." Willy squawked.

            Aika giggled.  "So what were you doing sailing in this area?" she asked.

            "The usual."  Gilder shrugged with his good arm.  "I'm in search of fine loqua, beautiful women and song.  The good life.  What were you doing dropping out of the sky?"

            Aika felt her face burn as she fingered a braid carelessly.  "The usual?"  She grinned.

            "I didn't realize that you made a habit of diving face-first through the air." Gilder said dryly.  He propped a cigarette in his lips and asked, "You mind?"

            Aika stuck out her tongue.  "Ick."

            Gilder frowned and plucked the cigarette from his mouth.  He gave the cigarette one last wistful glance and with a sigh, tucked it back into his jacket pocket.

            "What happened to you before the Claudia arrived?" he asked.

            "Baltor and his Black Pirates."  Aika scowled.  "They blew me out of the sky because they could."

            "Were you traveling with anyone else?"  Gilder pushed his wire-rim glasses up his nose with a middle finger.

            "No."  Aika shook her head.

            "Well, that's a relief." Gilder said.  "What were you doing by yourself?"

            "Well, that…" she trailed off.  Aika tried to smile but it turned into a grimace.  "It's really not that important."

            "I thought it was important enough for me to break my wrist over, but if you say it's not important then I'll believe you."  Gilder proceeded to yawn, but Aika realized that despite his outwardly casual demeanor the older man was regarding her carefully.

            She shifted on the stiff mattress.  "Thanks." she whispered.

            "No worries."  He shrugged.  "We're heading in the direction of Crescent Isle anyway.  We can drop you off."

            "No!" Aika yelped before she could cover her mouth with a hand.

            She blinked as the panic set in.  Her brows furrowed and she attempted to project an air of business-like professionalism and disciplined self-control.  One corner of Gilder's mouth twitched upwards in what would have been considered a smile if it weren't so devilish.

            "I just assumed that after that disaster you'd be finished with your _vacation._"  The devil-smirk died on his face, but his eyes betrayed him.  Despite his seriousness, deep down Aika knew that Gilder was laughing at her.

            "I'm not ready to go back to Crescent Isle just yet." Aika admitted.  "Do you have room in your crew for another Blue Rogue?"

            "This crew always welcomes attractive women." Gilder chuckled.  "Granted, we don't get them very often.  I'll have to supply you with a stick in case one of the boys gets too forward."

            "So you'll let me join you?"  Her smile reached to both her ears.

            "Would you be able to cast Sacri on my wrist?" he asked.

            "Absolutely."  A blush flooded her cheeks.

            "Welcome to the Claudia."  Gilder nodded.

            Aika laughed as she saluted her new captain.


	7. An Ending

7:

            "Don did you find her?"  Fina ran up to greet the New Hope's crew as they boarded the Crescent Isle docks.

            She stopped abruptly a few feet in front of them.  The four men were in shambles.  The reek of loqua surrounded them, including Marco.  Fina would have guessed that Don's red-rimmed eyes were due to drunkenness had it not been for the proud warrior Khazim weeping openly behind him.

            "Don, what happened?" Vyse asked.  The young captain could feel a knot form in his stomach.

            Don stared past Vyse vacantly.  Fina walked over to Don and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

            "Don?" she whispered.

            Don blinked and his eyes focused on her.  He forced a smile, but it looked pained.  Don drew Fina into his arms and pressed her firmly against his chest.

            He swallowed hard.  "Don't make me say it."

            "Say what?" she asked.

            Don didn't reply.  He began to rock her slowly, trapping Fina in a cryptic dance.

            "Khazim, what's going on?"  Vyse urged.  He didn't move to join the group.  For the first time in his life he felt hesitant and it terrified him to the very marrow in his bones.

            Khazim spared Vyse a pitiful glance.  The Nasrad native hugged himself.

            "Forgive me, my captain." he blubbered between sobs.  "Forgive me.  Forgive me."

            "Forgive you for what?" Vyse gently pressed.  "What did you do?"

            "I was not fast enough." Khazim cried.  "I failed to get there in time.  There was nothing I could do; I would have given my life.  Believe me, Captain!  Forgive me."

            "Khazim…" 

            Vyse's eyes darted around the group.  Don had continued to rock Fina in his arms stiffly.  Tears were streaming down Fina's cheeks, whether from sorrow or anxiety, Vyse couldn't tell.  Marco's stare was blank.  The only one who appeared fairly coherent was Pinta, and he was dry washing his hands.

            "Pinta." Vyse said softly.  "Please tell me what happened."

            Pinta flinched at the sound of his name.  The dry washing of his hands sped up.  He reluctantly faced Vyse.

            "We found the Salvation, Captain."  Pinta cleared his throat.

            "What about Aika?" Vyse whispered.

            Pinta's eyes dropped to the floor.  "The Salvation was destroyed, Captain."

            "What about Aika?" Vyse repeated.

            Pinta clenched his eyes shut.  "She's dead, Captain."

            "I see." 

            The life seemed to drain from Vyse's face.  His eyes were a dull muddy brown and his face devoid of any expression.  Vyse made a mechanical turn from the group and marched directly to his Captain's Quarters.

            Once inside he made sure the door was locked.  Vyse settled into his chair slowly and gazed at the empty room around him.  He rested his face on the desk and tried to bury his head with his hands.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Aika's funeral was a simple ceremony.  Since there was no body, the crew gathered some of her most precious belongings and items that she loved in life.  Fina refused to part with her friend's photo album and she put aside the other girl's diary for Vyse.  Vyse didn't take part in the service.

            A life raft was covered with a layer of white lily petals and strewn with yellow ribbons.  In it, the crew placed Aika's favorite boomerang and comic books along with a necklace from her mother and her father's insignia ring.

            Fina flipped through the photo album until she found a suitable picture.  She kissed her fingertips and pressed them against the image of her smiling friend before adding it to the life raft.

            After everyone had paid their last respects and shared a fond memory, the life raft was set adrift in the sky.  According to the Valuan tradition, the raft would float Aika up to the heavens.

            The crew headed for the tavern, while Fina walked towards the lookout ladder.  In her arms she cradled Aika's diary.  Vyse needed it, whether he wanted it or not.


	8. A Beginning

8:

            "When I mentioned supplying you with a stick, I meant it to be figurative." Gilder groaned.  "What happened?"

            "He had it coming."  Aika stuck her tongue out at the sailor crumpled into a ball on the deck.

            "I can assure you that Leo's always got a few things coming to him." Gilder replied dryly.  "But I didn't realize a crack against the back of his skull with a broom was one of those things."

            "She's crazy!" Leo declared as he lifted his pock-marked face from the deck.

            "You're beginning to look pretty crazy to me too, Leo." Gilder cut in.  "You've just insulted a woman who's already bested you while she's currently armed."

            Gilder placed a firm hand over Aika's which was in the process of raising the broom into an offensive stance.  Aika glowered, but she lowered the broom.

            "Now." Gilder said calmly.  "One at a time, tell me what happened before I'm forced to throw you both overboard."

            "I was just walking along the deck minding my own business."  Leo hoisted himself to his feet.  "I was running an errand for Rodney.  All of a sudden she just started thrashing me with a broom!"

            Leo stared murder at Aika with his blue eyes, while she rolled hers.  Gilder raised an eyebrow at Leo.

            "For no reason at all?" Gilder asked.

            "Absolutely no reason!" Leo affirmed.

            "What do you have to say for yourself, Aika?"  Gilder tried to hold back his smirk.

            "I was sweeping the deck like you told me to."  She spoke through gritted teeth.  "This oaf drops whatever he was carrying as he passes me so he can bend over and look up my skirt!"

            "Is this true?"  Gilder turned to Leo.

            "Of course not!" Leo cried, although his eyes darted everywhere but Gilder's hard stare.

            "Some people have no tact."  Gilder shook his head.  "Aika should have hit you harder."

            Aika smiled, triumphant.  Leo looked like he was going to be ill as she raised the broom at him.

            "I didn't mean for you to hit him again!  Take a break, Aika." Gilder ordered.  "I'm going to have a chat with our dear friend, Leo."

            Aika strolled off, the broom still in her hand.  Leo gulped as Gilder threw an arm around his shoulder.

            "What do you think you were doing?"  Gilder raised and eyebrow over his dark eyes.

            "I didn't mean anything by it." Leo insisted.

            "I'll bet." Gilder muttered.  "You should know better."

            "I know." Leo grumbled.

            "Aika wears shorts underneath her skirt."  Gilder grinned.  "She outsmarted you, pal."

            "What?"  Leo's jaw dropped.

            The smile died on Gilder's face and he turned serious.  "Don't ever let me catch you doing this again." he warned.  "Otherwise, I'll be the one beating you with the broom.  Got me?"

            "Yeah." Leo sighed.

            "Why the glum face?" Gilder asked.  "I didn't say you couldn't look at her.  I just said not to pull another stunt like that."

            "What do you mean?"  Leo's eyes narrowed.

            "Don't be so obvious.  Look at her elbow."  Gilder instructed.

            "Elbow?"

            "Yes, elbow." Gilder repeated.  "Stare at it, know it, love it.  It's still an expanse of flesh on a woman's body; the main difference is that a lady won't try to bludgeon you with a blunt object if she catches you ogling it."

            "I think I understand…" Leo murmured.

            "You're learning."  Gilder patted the younger man on his shoulder.  "Now, get back to Rodney."

            "Aye-aye, Captain!"  Leo gave Gilder a salute before he hurried off.

            Gilder leaned against the deck's railing and sighed.  He placed a cigarette to his lips, grateful for the moment's silence.  On a chivalrous whim he had given Aika his Captain's lodging so that the girl could have some privacy from his men.  Now that he was stuck bunking with the rest of his crew, it was difficult to find a room below deck where he could smoke to his heart's content without someone complaining.

            The bathrooms had an uncomfortable draft, and the Engine room was out of the question for obvious reasons.  So he had tried in the Crew's Cabin, but Felix went on a rant about his asthma.  He had moved to the kitchen after that and was left bloody by his cook's spoon.  Maybe Gilder was too lenient on his crew, but the man just couldn't get any respect.

            As he lit the cigarette in his lips, he eyed the radiant blue sky before him with suspicion.  It was beautiful and quiet.  Too quiet.  Gilder realized that he hadn't seen the Primrose in a long time.  It would be just like Clara to wreck the minute bliss that managed to float his way.

            Gilder squinted at a large cumulus cloud.  He tried to see a lewd shape in the mass, but in the end, admitted that it was just a ball of fluff.  He was just delaying the inevitable.

            Aika was there for a reason.  Sure, one could conclude that it was a coincidence that she landed face-first onto his deck, but Gilder liked to think that he was more astute than that.  She was troubled.  Aika was running from something and found it convenient to hide behind Gilder's trench coat for the time being.

            He was okay with playing her game for the moment.  Gilder wasn't exactly one to make visits; so after he was done pretending to be a hero along Vyse and his crew, he did what he knew how to do best.  He disappeared.

            It was almost refreshing to have someone as youthful and insipidly cheerful as Aika on board the Claudia.  Between the antics that girl was capable of stirring up along with the lack of direction he and his crew had at the moment, Gilder enjoyed her company.

            But he would eventually have to sit the girl down for a long chat.  He'd give her time to lick whatever wounds she was nursing, Gilder liked to think that he was a gentleman, but he wasn't going to wait forever.  He'd make her talk even if he had to dangle her over the railing of the Claudia by her ankles.


	9. Acceptance

9:

            Dusk had set in on Crescent Isle and all was quiet save for the hum of the crickets.  All her life she had lived secluded from others, but it never used to bother her.  Back then there was always Ramirez or at the very least, the elders.  Now, there was only the chirping night to accompany her.

            She sat at the very edge of the isle and dangled her legs over it.  She wiggled her toes as she stared at the expanse of nothingness below her.

            Cupil ballooned from her arm and nuzzled into her cheek.  She smiled sadly and stroked the creature's head.

            "Do you think there's a heaven?" Fina murmured more to herself than to Cupil.

            "If only for Aika, there is." Enrique replied.  He walked towards the fair haired Silvite and patted her on the shoulder.

            Cupil chirped at the Emperor.  He scratched the Silvite animal on its head.

            "Enrique!" she gasped.  "You scared me.  Shouldn't you be with Moegi?"

            "Moegi is in good hands."  He smiled.  "But you looked like you needed someone to talk to."

            Fina sighed.  "Vyse isn't acting like himself ever since he heard…" she trailed off.

            "About Aika?" Enrique finished for her.  He knelt beside her.  "How can you tell?  I haven't seen him since I was told about it."

            Cupil cooed as he let a draft pull him through the air.  With a precise flick of the animal's tail, he squirmed back over to Fina's side.  Cupil wrapped himself around Fina's arm and the creature disappeared into a bracelet.

            "That's just it."  She sighed.  "He's locked himself up in the Captain's Quarter's and he won't come out.  I knocked on the door to give him Aika's diary, but I got no response at all."

            "What did you do with the diary?" Enrique asked.

            "I left it by the door for him." Fina said.  "I wish I had the old Vyse back."

            "He'll come around eventually." he reassured her.  "I'm not surprised by his behavior, actually.  They were very close.  What shocks me is how well you've been able to handle the news."

            "I guess it hasn't really hit me yet." she confessed.  "I just feel really numb.  I think I've been too worried about Vyse.  How are you handling things?"

            "One step at a time." he replied.  "It's strange, really.  This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life.  The Valuan Empire is nearly rebuilt and we're working to eradicate the poverty from my mother's rule.  I'm going to be starting a family.  I guess I'm not as confident as I was before."

            "I think I understand."  Fina gave a slight smile.

            "I'm glad." Enrique said.  "I was afraid at first that you might be appalled to hear that I was a bit angry with Aika."

            "Angry?"  She cocked her head to one side.

            "Yes, angry." he affirmed.  "She's brought so much pain to what was originally a joyous occasion.  How dare she make us care for her only to die?"

            "I don't think she meant to." Fina mumbled.  She pulled her legs from the edge of the isle and pulled them into her chest.

            "Of course not." Enrique agreed.  "It was an irrational thought.  I just had to get it off of my chest so that I could be rid of it."

            "So you came to me?"  For the first time since the funeral, Fina gave a true smile and not just a polite mockery.

            "Yes."  Enrique paused.  He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.  "There's just something about you that made it feel right.  I wish you would have been able to meet my Uncle Gregorio.  He would have adored you."

            Enrique stood up and brushed his slacks off.  He gave Fina a courteous bow.

            "I should see how Moegi is faring against Kirala." he said.  "Your builder seems to feel that it's her obligation to stuff my poor wife to the gills with Yafutoman cuisine."

            "Enrique." Fina called out.  "Thank you for talking with me."

            Enrique nodded.  "Anytime."

            Fina watched the young Emperor disappear into the shadows.  The music that the crickets provided seemed to swell in her ears for a moment as she thought.  With a determined nod of her head, she stood up.

            She wove herself between the random buildings that made up Crescent Isle.  Shadows from the lit lanterns splashed patterns against the door to the pub.  Fina side-stepped that building entirely.  The last thing she wanted was for some sympathetic person to try to drag her in there to cheer her up.

            The koketa in their pens were making a racket.  Fina shook her head.  She doubted that anyone had remembered to feed the poor birds while they were making preparations for the funeral.  She walked over to the grain shed by the pens.

            The birds greeted her with "Looks tasty," and she laughed softly.  She hauled the feed from the shed and took her time feeding the koketa.  The birds rushed the feed dish, climbing over one another to reach the grain.  Fina backed away and locked up the grain shed.

            She knew she was just delaying the inevitable.  Fina made her way to the lookout tower.  She climbed the ladder in the dark until she reached the balcony in front of the Captain's Quarters.  She knocked on the door.

            No answer.  Fina sighed.  She glanced down at the foot of the door and gasped.  Aika's diary was missing.  Fina looked at the closed door and smiled.


	10. Epiphany

10:

Urala shook her head. Poor drunk fool, she thought as she tried to slid the jack of loqua out from under Don's passed out form at the tavern's bar. Don sat upright in the stool, a startled expression on his face. His arm jerked and sent the half filled mug crashing to the floor.

Urala's brows furrowed, but she said nothing. All the other crew members had long since retired to their respective homes and she was ready to close the pub. She went about picking up the broken ceramic shards from the floor. Don futilely rubbed the drunkenness from his eyes and joined her on the ground.

"I'm sorry." he muttered. "You shouldn't have to clean up after me."

"It's my job." she said simply.

"Let me help then." he offered. Don began to pluck up the broken mug.

"Don, you reek of loqua." Urala whispered. "Please leave this to me before you hurt yourself."

Too late. Don's hand swooped down with bravado at a ceramic shard. For Don in his inebriated state, the gash simply appeared across his palm. It was both long and deep.

Urala sighed and pulled out her handkerchief from her apron. She wrapped the plain white cotton around his hand and applied pressure.

"I knew you were going to get hurt." she murmured.

"Funny, I can't feel anything." Don replied. His gaze was ensnared by the handkerchief that seemed to be effectively absorbing all the stray red droplets.

Urala didn't say anything. She reached for the broom behind the bar and began to sweep up the remaining mug shards.

"I could go get Miss Fina to cast Sacri on your hand." Urala offered finally.

"Don't bother." Don grunted. "She's got her own things to worry about."

With the broken mug safely disposed of, Urala began to soak up the loqua off the floor. She kept her gaze locked on to her work.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Don said.

"You're bleeding all over the floor." she whispered.

"I'm sorry." he muttered.

"Don't be." she replied. "Just don't bleed on the floor."

Don chuckled to himself and began to apply pressure to his wound. As the adrenaline wore off and he began to sober, he noticed that the slash seemed to throb.

"I'll bring your handkerchief back when it's clean." he promised.

"Don't bother." Urala shook her head, but the corners of her mouth crooked upwards in a small smile. "It's already ruined."

"Oh." Don sat back on the bar stool. "I guess I'll keep it then."

"You should really have someone tend to your hand." Urala advised. "It will probably scar otherwise."

Don twisted a finger in his goatee. "I've already had someone look at my hand." he responded. "Besides, it'll be good if it scars. I'll have a reminder as to why I shouldn't be a drunken idiot."

"Do you really feel that it is necessary?" Urala asked.

"Why?" He shrugged. "Does it upset you?"

Urala turned her dark eyes to Don's palm. She tossed the loqua drenched rags into a bucket. She took his hand in hers and began to tie the loose ends of the handkerchief tightly into place.

"Well?" Don's voice was gruff. "You didn't answer me. Does it upset you?"

Urala kept her eyes on her work. She could feel Don's hot breath on her cheek, bitter with the odor of loqua. She secured the handkerchief with a knot.

The door to the tavern opened. Kirala walked in and shot her sister a stern look. Urala dropped Don's hand and dodged back behind the bar.

"What's going on?" Kirala demanded.

"Don, he—" Urala stammered as she pointed to Don's hand.

"I broke a mug." he offered. "Cut my hand up in the process too."

"It's because you drink too much." Kirala said curtly.

"I didn't realize that you were an expert on these things." was Don's snide answer.

"One doesn't have to be." Kirala spoke through clenched teeth. "One only has to look at you."

"Please don't argue." Urala pleaded.

"You think this is drinking too much?" Don barred his teeth at the Yafutoman architect. "You should drop by Esperanza sometime, darling. This is nothing!"

Kirala balled her hands into fists. "I've been to Esperanza." she whispered. "As I recall Captain Vyse even chose to recruit Esperanza's biggest drunkard into his crew."

"Stop this." Urala's voice raised an octave.

"I know what I am." Don snarled. He stalked over to Kirala and loomed over the woman.

She met his furious glare with a level look. "Apparently you do not." Kirala said. "Alcoholic."

"I know what this is about." Don crossed his arms.

"It should be obvious." Kirala retorted. "Your wanton foolishness is repulsive."

He faced her squarely. "Aika's dead. You can't change that." Don didn't bother to hide the contempt in his voice. "Let me deal with it my way, just like I let you deal with it your way."

"Kirala, let it go." Urala tried to place herself between Don and her sister.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kirala hissed.

"Oh really?" Don laughed. "What have you been doing in your shop this entire evening? Tell me, Kirala, what does smashing nails into a single block of wood accomplish?"

"Don, please!" Urala begged. She placed a hand on his arm and he finally took notice of her.

It was too late. Kirala's jaw worked furiously, but the words refused to form. Her lip finally curled up into a snarl.

"Pig!"

Kirala's work-hardened fist had the density of concrete as she slugged Don in his loqua reddened face. The hit caught him completely off guard and his head twisted at a bizarre angle before he came crashing down onto the hardwood floor. Kirala shook her hand out and marched stiffly from the tavern.

Don ran through a mental checklist to make sure all of his body parts were accounted for. He gingerly fingered the bruise that was already forming along his jaw line and decided that it would be in his best interest to stay lying on the floor for the moment.

Urala shook her head. "You shouldn't have done that." she murmured.

Don shoved himself up onto his hands and knees. His brows furrowed and he caught her black eyes with his brown for a moment. Urala turned and followed after her sister.

"I'm sorry." Don muttered after the empty doorway. The words seemed to echo around the lone man in the pub.

Don gathered himself from the floor. He began to brush himself off, but in his intoxicated state it devolved into him slapping different body parts rather than brushing.

Don mumbled incoherent obscenities at himself as he headed behind the bar. He picked up a fresh mug and set it beneath the tap. His hand paused above the tap and he considered it a moment. One more glass and he could forget about everything that happened that night. No, the sharp pain was still there in his palm. It would scab over tomorrow and in the days that followed it would scar. There would be no way to erase this evening from his mind completely.

Urala's cotton handkerchief was browned with Don's blood. Don swore violently and shoved the empty mug back where he found it on the shelf behind the bar. He cursed again and even involved the mother of the Purple Moon in his next stream of obscenities for good measure. Don was sober.


	11. Conclusions

11:

_Dear Diary,_

            _Urala made those things again!  She called them pot stickers, but I think that's a funny name.  She didn't even put them in a pot, she used a wok.  I ate them anyway because they're tasty.  I shared them with Pow too, I just hope all the ginger she put in them doesn't upset his stomach._

_            Vyse missed dinner again.  He likes to pretend that he's busy and important, I guess he is, being Captain of the Delphinus and all.  But I'm sure that the most likely scenario is that he fell asleep with his face in an atlas book, his head full of amazing dreams. _

_            Sometimes I wonder what Vyse dreams about.  When we were younger, we'd climb the lookout at Pirates Isle and talk about things as the sun set.  Back then, Vyse wanted to be the captain of his own ship and find out what's beyond the sunset.  Now he's the captain of the Delphinus and we all know the world is round._

_            What happens when you've experienced your dream after wishing for it so long?  It would be pretty loony to continue to wish for it.  Maybe Vyse found a new dream to work for, or maybe there's just a bored emptiness where the old one was._

_            I don't know.  I've never been able to achieve any of my dreams.  It's probably because a lot of my dreams are silly.  I remember having one years ago where all the islands and continents were connected by bodies of water instead of air.  That sounds so dippy, even just writing it down!_

_            Oh boy, I'm getting sidetracked.  Here I was writing about aspirations and I ended up talking about an actual dream I had one night.  I hope Vyse still has some goals to dream about._

_            I don't talk to him anymore like I used to.  He still sits in the lookout as the sun sets, but Fina's there with him now.  I'm always welcome to join, I know, but I don't want to.  When she's there, I'm not going to join my best friend in a nightly ritual, I'm intruding on something._

_            It's not her fault, I doubt Fina even realizes what's happening.  That's part of what makes Fina so wonderful.  I had to explain to her the idea behind earning money, for goodness sake!_

_            They're meant for each other.  I think that must be what it is.  I don't regret rescuing Fina from Alfonso and Valua, that's not it.  I'd never regret that, Fina's my friend just as much as she is Vyse's.  I guess it's just that I'm sad that things had to change._

_            Well, I'm sick of butting in.  I don't know if they're too stupid to realize what's going on between the two of them, or if they're trying to pretend that nothing's happening for my sake.  All I know is that they need to decide whether they are or they aren't.  The only way that that's going to happen is probably if I leave._

_            So I made a little checklist of things that I'll definitely need.  I'll pack them up, so I'll be ready when it comes time.  I feel bad about not telling Vyse about what I'm planning, but at the same time I know he'd try and stop me.  I did confide in a couple people though, so I feel better.  Alright, so it was two koketa, but I just wanted to make sure that no one would find out._

_            Anyway, Enrique and Moegi are coming to visit in about a week, so I should get planning on a surprise gift for them.  Fina sounds really excited about making a gift too, so I think I'll let her in on it.  It'll be nice to see everyone again before I run away._

_                                                                                    -Aika_

            Vyse shook his head as he thumbed through the leather bound book.  Aika had had it for years and contained in the yellowing pages everything from smeared words that she had cried over and fingerprints coated in jam from when she had tried to multi-task; to memories and nightmares. 

            He felt like he was holding his best friends' heart.  Aika's prose would sometimes meander around the point she was trying to make before rambling on about it for three pages and oftentimes she would lose sight of what she had begun to discuss in order to write about something completely irrelevant.  But her voice one the page was clear and true to the very end.  She was honest with herself even when she didn't want to be.

            Vyse had read through the entries from beginning to end seven times already.  She had swiped the Captain's log from his father, Dyne when she was nine and turned it into a diary.  Initially, all she wrote about was her parents, but slowly Vyse's name appeared more and more into the texts and the words circling his name evolved from "jerk-head" to "handsome."

            He was amazed at how little he actually knew about Aika.  For instance, the morning she nearly burnt the tavern down she had been trying to bake a birthday cake for him.  Vyse had simply accepted that she had accidentally tripped over Pow and broke an oil lamp over the floor.  Aika went on to write that she should have just gotten him flowers like Fina did.

            The diary lay open on the last entry.  Vyse couldn't look away from the jarring letters, sloppy with haste.

_Dear Diary,_

_            I can't wait anymore.  I have to leave.           _

            And that was it.  The bottom line was that she left for him.  Because he had been too stupid to realize that the friendships swirling around him were just waiting to blossom into something else.  Well, even though it wasn't her decision to make, Aika chose for Vyse.  It was a final selfless act on his best friend's part so that he could be happy with a single woman.

            Vyse chuckled softly.  He had given up on raging and screaming about how Aika had no right to make the choice for him the third time he had read the diary.  The fourth time through, Vyse admitted that the only thing he was arguing with was a wall, the fifth time it dawned on him the amount of compassion it would have taken for Aika to reach that conclusion and by the time he read her words the sixth time, Vyse had forgiven her.

            "If I could see you just one more time, Aika, I'd hug you." Vyse announced.  "Then I'd throttle you.  Maybe I'd throttle you first, then hug you."

            He giggled.  "At least you've got Pow with you wherever you are."  Vyse laughed again.  "What kind of an addlebrained dingbat doesn't have the sense to use the lifeboats?" 

            Between his uncontrollable guffawing, Vyse fiercely pinched the bridge of his nose.  No, he was done with tears; he'd laugh, even if it began to sound slightly maniacal.

            How many days had he stayed alone in his Captain's Quarters?  Fina would be outside his door soon with dinner, he could count on that.  His sides began to ache from all his laughter.

            Vyse continued to chuckle as he stood and stretched his legs.  His backside had begun to numb from sitting in the seat for the past two hours straight.  He decided that it was time to end his self-induced seclusion.

            With a final glance at the diary, Vyse shut the leather book.  He secured a yellow ribbon around the text and tucked it safely into a drawer in his desk.         

            Vyse opened the door to his Captain's Quarters and let the sun beam down on him.  He came out just in time to spot Fina as she climbed to the lookout with a tray of food in her hands.  She stopped abruptly as she realized that she held his dark brown gaze.

            Fina cleared her throat.  "I thought you might be hungry."  She lifted the tray towards him.

            Vyse glanced at the simple sushi dishes before him and set the tray on the railing.  He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Fina's waist.  The Silvite girl gasped as her captain buried his face in her stomach.

            "I've been an idiot."  His words were muffled by her dress.  "Sorry."

            Fina ran her fingers absently through Vyse's mop of hair.  "I'm glad that you've finally come out of that room." she whispered.

            "Me too."  He gave her a squeeze before he stood back up.  "What have you got to eat?"

            "Left over sushi from lunch."  Fina pointed to the tray on the railing.

            Vyse picked up the tray and sat on the floor of the lookout.  With the tray in his lap he began to peruse the variety of vinegared rice.

            "Is there any wasabi?" he asked.

            "I didn't know that you liked it."  Fina joined Vyse on the floor and giggled.  "It burns my nose."

            "Of course it will if you use too much of it."  Vyse laughed.  "You're supposed to mix it with the soy sauce."

            "Oh."

            Vyse plucked up a norimaki with his fingers and dipped it into the cup of soy sauce.  His western taste buds appreciated the crunch of the cucumber and the fact that the salmon middle was smoked.  Soy sauce drizzled down his chin.

            "Would you like some?" he offered.

            "No thank you." Fina replied.

            Vyse shrugged and continued to eat.  Fina stayed by his side and watched him quietly.  As he soaked up the last bit of soy sauce with the rice and cleaned his face with the back of his hand, Vyse looked at the green eyed girl and smiled.

            "Thanks for putting up with me." he said.  "You didn't have to."

            "But I did."  Fina tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.  "I talked it over with Enrique.  I think I understand."

            Vyse licked his fingertips clean and then dried them on the front of his blue jacket.  "I think I'm ready to face my crew." he told her solemnly.

            "Good."  Fina smiled.

            _They're meant for each other_.  Aika's written word reaffirmed the decision that Vyse had been mulling over for the past two days.  _Alright, Aika_, he thought, _I'll do this for you_.  Vyse reached over the tray and took Fina's hand in his.

            "Will you face them with me?" he asked.

            "Of course." Fina replied.


	12. Ships, Cigarettes and Confessions

12 Ships, Cigarettes and Confessions:

"Lola, honey, you don't mean that." Gilder snorted, then rolled over onto his side.

Aika groaned. She peered over her shoulder to make sure that she and the Claudia's captain were the only two in the Crew's Quarters. She had tried to wake him gently, but apparently it wasn't working. Aika bent over, pressed her shoulder into Gilder's back and shoved him off the bed.

Gilder grunted as he made contact with the floor and Willy squawked frantically. Aika grinned, pleased with her handiwork.

"So nice to see you up, sunshine." she said.

"I can't get any respect from anyone, can I?" Gilder moaned from his spot on the floor.

"Help! Help! Help!" Willy wailed.

"Captain, we need to talk." Aika announced.

"Funny, I don't feel like talking." Gilder replied. "What I feel is a lot of pain in my tailbone. You wouldn't be able to explain that, now would you, Aika?"

"The Claudia is your ship, Captain, how do you expect to run it if you're asleep?" Aika raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms firmly.

"My men know what to do." Gilder grumbled.

"But I don't." Aika shot back. "What's going on, Captain? I wake up and discover that we're docking."

"We've probably run out of loqua." Gilder shoved himself up to a sitting position. "It's no big deal."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she demanded.

Her lower lip jutted out and Gilder realized that he was under the influence of the "Aika Sulk." In the meanwhile, Willy perched himself on a bedpost.

"I doubt that everyone realizes that you're part of the crew yet." he replied. "It's no big deal. Just go to the dock and help the rest of the crew restock."

"You won't do anything funny, will you?" Aika asked.

"I've done several funny things before." Gilder squinted as he patted his nightstand down for his glasses. "Be more specific."

Aika shuffled her feet. "Funny like, leave me at the dock because of all the trouble I've caused with Leo." she mumbled.

"I thought we settled everything with Leo already." he replied. With his glasses in place he began to finger comb his thick brown hair.

Aika tried to grin casually but it was too smarmy. Her smile was crooked and her eyes were shifty.

"What happened?" Gilder asked. He opened the drawer to his nightstand and pulled out the metal cigarette case. From the guilty expression on Aika's face, he had a hunch that he would want a cigarette desperately soon.

"I think he was trying to apologize for earlier." Aika tugged on one of her fat braids nervously. "But he snuck up behind me and I got spooked and clobbered him on accident."

"You clobbered him on accident?" Gilder opened the metal case and propped a cigarette in his lips.

"Yeah." Aika nodded. "My fist was flying instinctively before I even realized it was Leo. Don't smoke in front of me."

Gilder sighed and dropped the lighter that he had found. He kept the unlit cigarette in his mouth and sucked on it pensively.

"Did you apologize?" Gilder asked.

"That's just it." Aika explained. "Before I could apologize, Leo started screaming. He called me names until I hit him again."

"I see." Gilder murmured.

He sat down on the foot of the bed and motioned for Aika to join him. She plopped down beside him on the untidy mattress. Gilder looked her square in the eyes.

"Now, don't get me wrong, Aika." he said. "I'm all for the occasional unadulterated violence. But usually the violence is against Black Pirates or the remnants of the old Valuan Empire. It's not crew member versus crew member."

"I know." Aika sighed.

"I know that you know and that's why I'm bringing it up." Gilder replied. "Leo's new to this. He's an idiot, but it's excusable. I've seen you in action before with Vyse, so you have no excuse. You know this isn't acceptable."

"I know." Aika said. "It's just… well…"

"You haven't been acting like yourself." Gilder murmured.

"I haven't been feeling much like myself." she admitted.

"You know, you don't have to be part of my crew." Gilder said. "If you want, you can be my personal guest. Just while you get your head sorted out."

"No." Aika insisted. "If I'm on a ship it's going to be because I'm part of the crew."

Gilder shrugged. "I'm just trying to help."

"I know."

Gilder raised an eyebrow. "For someone who knows an awful lot you're sure in a rut." he said dryly.

"I ran away." Aika blurted out. The muscles along her neck and shoulders tightened at the admission.

"What?" Gilder asked softly.

"I ran away." Aika repeated. "I needed some time to myself so I ran away, okay? I didn't really know where I was going and ended up getting blasted out of the sky by Black Pirates. Now I'm here."

"What ship were you on?" Gilder asked. "It didn't look like the Delphinus."

Aika seemed to relax. The question that Gilder asked most likely wasn't the question she had been expecting.

"It wasn't." Aika replied. "It was just some little ship that I swiped."

"Just some ship." Gilder mumbled. "What was the ship's name?"

"The Salvation, I think." Aika said.

"You think?" His glasses slid down Gilder's nose. "Didn't you name it yourself?"

"No." Aika admitted. "It was just the name it came with."

"So that's how Vyse is naming all his ships now?" Gilder shook his head. "No, don't answer that question. I can't believe you didn't name your ship!"

"Why?" she asked.

"Why?" Gilder groaned. "Don't you realize that the most important thing to an air pirate is his ship? Why would he ever allow anyone else the privilege of naming his own ship? That's preposterous."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Aika said. "It just makes things easier."

"Because the name of your ship is important." Gilder insisted. "Because you're stuck on your ship for long periods of time. Because you could die on your ship. You need to have your ship named something that's important to you. Something you would risk dying for."

"But what about Vyse's ship?" Aika asked. "He didn't name it the Delphinus."

"No," Gilder said calmly. "but it was named after an ancient animal like all the other ships in the Valuan Armada. Ask Fina sometime what the Delphinus symbolizes."

Gilder saw Aika flinch at the name "Fina" and grinned. He was getting closer to the source of Aika's troubles.

"What should I name my ship, then?" Aika wondered.

"That's not for me to decide, kid." Gilder answered. "You need to look inside yourself for that."

"Okay." she agreed.

"Then head out to the dock and start helping the rest of the crew." Gilder demanded. "You're smarter than this."

Aika stuck out her tongue before she bounded off the bed. She flung the door open, but hesitated in the doorway.

"Captain?" Aika's voice was reluctant.

"Yeah?" Gilder studied his unlit cigarette.

"What was the Claudia named for?" she asked.

"I named it after Claudia." Gilder replied cryptically. "Now, get back to work."

Aika nodded and left her captain to his thoughts.


	13. Souls Like Mirrors

13 Souls Like Mirrors:

"So you see, Captain, why Aika's room should go to me." Osman concluded.

"You've made some good points." Vyse conceded. "But I think that since Enrique and Moegi want the baby to be born here we should give them Aika's room for now."

"Captain, I must protest!" Osman argued.

"It's just for six months, Osman." Vyse cut in. "Enrique and Moegi won't be here permanently."

"You are too cruel, Captain." Osman exclaimed. "I was willing to forgive and forget that you forgot about my kabal skewers, even though I have been living off of little more than water this past week, but now you slight me again!"

Vyse looked at the large woman. Somehow he doubted that she had only had water in the last couple of days. He had no idea how everyone decided that Aika's room was up for grabs simultaneously. First Brabham had pulled him aside to ask about it, then he found Marco trying to sneak his belongings into the room and now Osman. Vyse had found a temporary solution in housing Enrique and Moegi in the room. To avoid any possible disputes in their family, the couple wanted their child born on neutral ground that belonged neither to the Yafutoman or Valuan Empire.

"Talk to Khazim about kabal skewers." Vyse suggested. "I think he has some."

"If you say so, Captain." Osman waddled off in a huff.

Vyse breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Captain. Could I speak with you for a minute?" Don tapped Vyse on his shoulder.

Vyse spun around to face him. "If this is about Aika's room, then I've already decided on giving it to Enrique and Moegi for the time being."

"No, it's not about that at all." Don whispered. With a bandaged hand, he stroked an ugly yellowing bruise along his jaw line.

"Don!" Vyse exclaimed. "What happened to your face?"

Don blinked. "I trimmed my goatee, if that's what you mean."

"No. I mean the bruise, what happened?" Vyse asked.

"Oh that." Don shrugged, embarrassed. "I got drunk last night, only when I passed out, I fell face first into a hardwood floor. I don't recommend it, Captain."

"Do you want me to find Fina? She could—"

"Don't bother, Captain." Don interrupted gently. "All my important wounds have already been tended to."

The way Don fondly touched the handkerchief that bound his hand confused Vyse.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Vyse asked.

"I want to leave." Don said simply. "Not permanently, mind you. But I'm not happy right here, right now. I'd like permission to just float around on my new ship for a while."

"Don, you don't have to ask me." Vyse replied.

"Yes I do." Don insisted. "I'd also like to take the crew I had with me before. Marco acts tough, but he's really just a kid. I think he needs a break after all that's happened."

Vyse laughed and patted Don on the back. "Absolutely." he agreed. "You gather your crew up. I'll see to stocking your ship. You should be ready to head out with a six months supply of necessities tomorrow."

"You don't know how much this means to me, Captain." Don said gravely.

"Go get your crew." Vyse replied.

"Oh, Captain?" Don looked over his shoulder back at Vyse.

"Yeah?"

"Since I'll be gone before Kirala leaves her shop tonight, will you tell her I'm sorry?" Don asked.

"You need to apologize to Kirala?" Vyse raised an eyebrow at the older man.

"I suppose I don't need to." Don stroked his bruised jaw. "But I want to. She deserves as much."

"Sure, I can do that." Vyse assured. He scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks, Captain." Don grinned.

As Don walked off happily, Vyse watched the older man closely. Don had been behaving oddly. He smelled fresh, like soap and not day old loqua. Something curious was happening.

Nearby, a crowd had gathered, but shockingly, it was neither around Vyse nor for requests of Aika's room. It was around Kalifa's tent, so Vyse went to investigate.

The fortune teller was in the throes of her work. Her magenta headpiece flailed and she waved her arms maniacally over a nervous Moegi. Enrique sat beside his wife and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

The fortune teller's crystal over which Kalifa was huddled glowed vibrantly and the Maramban native jerked her head up. Despite the fact that Kalifa wore opaque blue glasses, Vyse was positive that her gaze horrified both the Emperor and his wife.

"There will be two." Kalifa predicted. "With souls like mirrors and faces like night and day."

Vyse walked up to Fina and tapped her on the shoulder. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Kalifa is telling the fortune of Moegi's unborn child." Fina replied. "Unborn children, as it turns out."

"Kalifa thinks that Moegi's carrying twins?" Vyse exclaimed.

Fina nodded.

Kalifa stopped abruptly. She screeched melodramatically and thrust a finger in Vyse's direction.

"You!" she wailed at Vyse.

"Me?" Vyse asked. He could feel the hair pricking up on the back of his neck.

Moegi took that as her cue to creep slowly away from the fortune teller. Enrique gathered his unnerved wife in his arms and they fell back into the rest of the crowd.

Kalifa moaned and her body convulsed. Her blue crystal seemed to burn bright white before her.

"You." she repeated. "You are wrong."

Fina gasped. Vyse took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. That seemed to calm the Silvite, so he turned all his attention to the Maramban.

"What do you mean, Kalifa?" Vyse asked. "How am I wrong?"

Kalifa turned her gaze to her crystal. The fortune teller studied it intently, her lips pursed with unutterable syllables. With a great display of bravado, she threw her arm against the crystal and sent it spiraling into the ground.

As soon as the crystal hit the hard soil the spell appeared to be broken. Kalifa fell to her hands and knees, exhausted. The rise and fall of the woman's chest became more regular with each raspy breath.

Fina nudged her way through the crowd and was finally able to meet Kalifa. With a hand, Fina wiped the sweat from the other woman's brow before she helped Kalifa to her feet. Kalifa adjusted her blue glasses with a shaky hand.

"Kalifa, what happened?" Vyse asked as he rushed to her side.

"I will be fine." she said. "I just need some rest."

"But you said that I was wrong." Vyse said softly. "What does that mean?"

"Sometimes it's better to discover things on your own." Kalifa sounded weary.

Vyse took Kalifa by the arm and led her into her tent. Kalifa graciously allowed the young Captain to set her on one of the numerous pillows that littered the tent floor.

"Now, please, explain to me what that was all about." Vyse requested.

"I do not want to." Kalifa shook her head.

"This is regarding my life." Vyse argued. "If it's as bad as you make it sound, then I think that I at least deserve to know what you saw."

"Sometimes the only way we can grow is to first make mistakes." Kalifa murmured. "It may be painful, but you will learn from it. I'm afraid if I reveal a piece of your future, you may be able to avoid the valuable lesson."

"Please, tell me." Vyse pleaded.

Kalifa sighed and Vyse shot her a grin.

"Very well." Kalifa said. "You may want to take a seat."


	14. Air Battle

14 Air Battle:

"This is so lame!" Marco complained. "Why did I get stuck on _your_ ship again?"

"We didn't have to join Captain Don." Pinta chided. "This _was_ optional."

"Optional?" Marco's face turned red with rage. "Captain booze-breath didn't tell me nothing about it being optional!"

"Oh my." Pinta murmured. He began to nervously dry wash his hands.

"Because it wasn't optional for you, kiddo." Don cut in. The Captain of the New Hope stepped between his two crewmen. He turned to face Marco. "I was thinking of stripping you naked and tying you to the bowsprit to scare off Black Pirates. What do you think?"

Marco snorted and crossed his arms angrily. Pinta giggled fretfully.

"Pinta, what do you know about handkerchiefs?" Don asked.

"Well, they were originally used by priests to wipe their faces at the end of religious ceremonies. They were just simple silk scraps back then called _facials_." Pinta scratched the back of his head. "It eventually spread to aristocratic courts as a luxury, they used the most expensive fabric and adorned it with lace and embroidery—"

"That's not what I meant." Don interrupted. "Let's say, for example, that I was to buy a handkerchief to, I don't know, maybe replace one that got ruined. I mean a nice handkerchief, nothing shabby."

"Oh." Pinta nodded. "Well, that depends. Would the handkerchief actually be used, or would it be just decoration?"

"I don't know." Don mumbled.

"That is a problem, isn't it?" Pinta murmured.

Beneath the smattering of freckles on his face, Marco's pasty skin seemed to boil with agitation. His nose crinkled and he shot the other two an incredulous look.

"You two are insane." Marco muttered as he stormed off below deck.

"Well the most common materials used for handkerchiefs are cotton, linen and silk." Pinta offered. "Cotton being the least expensive, silk being the most."

"That's a start." Don said. "What else can you tell me?"

"Well, that depends, Captain." Pinta answered. "If you were looking for a cotton handkerchief, you could find them all over the world, but if you wanted a silk handkerchief I'd recommend that we stop in Yafutoma."

"What about linen handkerchiefs?" Don asked.

"The finest flax would be found in Nasrad."

Pinta nearly threw himself into Don's arms. Don merely took a deep breath before he turned to face Khazim.

"How long have you been here?" Don demanded.

"Just a short while." Khazim promised.

"Who's steering the ship, then?" Don pressed. "I thought that was what you were supposed to be doing."

"Marco."

Pinta giggled nervously as Don attempted to collect his jaw from the ground.

"Marco?" Don exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I thought that the boy was being taught how to manage the helm." Khazim replied.

"Yeah, he's being taught." Don said. "Under heavy supervision. I don't want to know what that kid's capable of without someone breathing down his neck."

"Supervision, really?" Khazim mused. "I cannot believe that it's taken so long to train the boy as it is. When I was his age, I had already explored all the seas beneath the Red Moon."

"I'm sure you did." Don muttered. "Come on, let's go get Marco before he steers us into a reef."

The two sailors and their captain headed below deck. Marco greeted them with a snort. Don chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. Marco struggled against Don's hand and the ship dipped.

"Easy there, kid. I was just saying hello." Don said.

"Then say it, don't molest my head." Marco snapped.

Don turned to Khazim. "The kid's got quite the mouth, doesn't he?" he asked.

Khazim raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"We were just worried about you so we came down." Pinta offered.

"You were just worried about me crashing the ship." Marco growled.

The boy fiercely cranked the wheel to the right and sent the rest of the crew flying across the small cabin. Don gathered his head from a panel of navigational equipment and peeled Pinta from his abdomen. He stormed up and shoved Marco away from the steering wheel?

"Well, do you blame us?" he growled.

Marco glared defiantly at Don. Ready to reprimand Marco further, Don was interrupted by a large explosion near the port side of the New Hope's stern.

"What the—" Don managed.

"We're being shot at." Marco said simply.

Don nodded and pushed Marco back behind the wheel.

"Nice steering." Don said. "The hull would've been toast otherwise."

Marco glowered, but readily accepted the wheel.

Khazim was already on his feet and he brushed off his trousers. Pinta seemed quite satisfied to remain on the floor for the meanwhile. Don shook his head.

"Khazim, to the cannons." Don commanded. "Marco, you know what to do. Pinta, make sure the life boats are fully operational. I'm going to go see who the moron who thinks he can fire at Blue Rogues is."

The entire crew nodded curtly and the three men ran in different directions leaving Marco alone in the room. By himself, Marco realized that he was trembling. The boy tried to shake it off and concentrate on the task at hand. It wasn't just his life on the line like he was used to, one slip up on his part and all of them could die. Pinta, Khazim, even Captain booze-breath. With a deep breath, Marco began to hum a tune from his early childhood, one that his mother would sing to him to convince the scared boy that everything would be okay.

Don watched Pinta scramble off to the life rafts as he climbed up the hatchway. Above deck, the sky was blue and clear. In the distance there was a ship with a black skull and crossbones flag. Don groaned and tried not to roll his eyes.

Don strolled towards the bulwarks and cupped his hand around his mouth like a megaphone. "Baltor!" he called. "Don't you ever get sick of this?"

"But I'm just starting to get good at it!" Baltor hollered back.

"Getting the living daylights beat out of you by Blue Rogues is the only thing a Black Pirate will ever be good at." Don retorted.

Baltor laughed. He took his time and flung his head back and he slapped his knees with a hand.

"Is that so?" Tears of glee were streaming down Baltor's face. "Your redheaded friend, Aika, found it rather difficult to beat the living daylights out of me."

"What do you know about Aika?" Don snarled.

"Is that what you're doing out here?" Baltor wondered. "Looking for Aika?"

"Just spit it out so we can get this over with." Don demanded.

"Aika's dead, drunkard." Baltor chortled merrily.

"Tell me something I don't know." Don snapped.

The mirth died from Baltor's face. Apparently he was hoping for a more shocked and grievous reaction. Baltor's smile reverted to a flat line.

"She's dead, because I shot her from the sky." he said coldly.

"Is that so?" Don murmured. His stomach had tied itself into knots of livid rage.

"What?" Baltor yelled. "Aren't you surprised?"

"You've gone too far Baltor. I'm going to end the vile smear on this world that you've created today." Don promised.

"Oh? And how do you propose to do this by yourself?" Baltor taunted.

Don didn't have to answer. Khazim's firepower was a sufficient reply.

"What?" Baltor spluttered. "How did you? It's not possible that you could!"

"I did nothing." Don gave a venomous grin. "You didn't expect me to go flying without a crew, did you? I've got the Delphinus' finest on this ship."

"Very good." Baltor sneered. "But I doubt you've got the skill of Vyse the Legend."

"Bring it, you worthless sack of grule guts." Don dared.

Baltor shot Don a petulant look before he stormed off below the deck of his ship. Don paid him little attention; the primary thought that burned through the man's body was that of revenge.

Don looked over his shoulder to see Pinta run towards him. Pinta jerked urgently at the hem of Don's jacket.

"Pinta?" Don muttered. "I thought I told you to check the life rafts."

"The life rafts have been checked and are in perfect condition, Captain." Pinta gave Don a salute.

"As good as that is, we won't be using them." Don said grimly.

The ship shuddered as it narrowly missed another shells impact. Pinta was sent sprawling to the other side of the deck. Don clung to the railing and swore.

The fledgling captain hurried over to Pinta and gathered the smaller man in his arms. With a quick glance at the other ship, whose cannons were busy being reloaded, Don ran for the hatchway with Pinta tucked under his right arm.

"It's getting a bit rough up here, Pinta." Don shouted hoarsely. "We should be fine below deck."

"And what then, Captain?" Pinta called out.

"Can you work a cannon?" Don asked.

"I won't blow my foot off if that's what you mean." Pinta replied.

"It'll have to do." Don answered.

Don hurried to the cannons that lined the side of the ship. Khazim was already there, a torch in his hand. Sweat gleamed from the Nasrean's shoulders as he ran past the line of cannons, lighting them as he passed.

"Cover your ears." Khazim's warning was following by the thunderous explosion of cannon fire.

"Khazim, man one of the smaller guns." Don ordered. "Me and Pinta can take over the main cannons so you can lay these Black Pirates to waste."

"Maybe I should check on Marco." Pinta suggested.

"The kid'll be fine." Don insisted. "Didn't you watch that wheelwork back there? He's taking after Vyse, might even surpass him."

"If you say so, Captain." Pinta eyed the cannons dubiously.

Don reached into his jacket and tore out some Red Moon stones. He handed them to Pinta.

"Pyres Cannon. Now." Don said.

Pinta collected the moon stones and ran off.

"You don't look well, Captain." Khazim noted.

"I don't feel too hot right now." Don admitted. He began to load the Main Cannon.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Khazim shouted over the roar of his cannons.

"Baltor killed Aika." Don growled.

"He!—" The words were overpowered by a primal howl. Khazim screamed over the sound of his guns.

"My thoughts exactly." Don agreed.

The men's cannons erupted and spewed shrapnel into the Blackbeard. The fury of their guns was heightened by the rage they held for the Black Pirate. The men's screams and whoops were engulfed by the deafening air battle, but they carried on regardless.

Between Marco's deft maneuvering and the men's artillery, the Blackbeard had no choice but to retreat. Don punched the top of his cannon furiously.

"We are not letting him get away!" Don declared. "Pinta! Run down and tell Marco to follow them."

"But Captain, they're retreating." Pinta protested.

"Just do it." Don snarled.

"Aye aye." Pinta's voice faltered. He turned and hurried off.

Don glanced over at Khazim. The other man didn't offer an argument.

"Nasrad was destroyed before my very eyes and there was nothing I could do about it." Khazim said solemnly. "It broke my heart. I vowed to never let something like that happen again. Aika's murderer is before us. Let's make it right."

From that day forward, the ship named Blackbeard was only a mere name scrawled into the fresh pages of the New Hope's Captain's Log. Driven by a lust for revenge, the New Hope's crew didn't cease their attack until Pinta spied the Black Pirate, Baltor plummet to his doom amid the shattered wreckage of his ship.

"What now, Captain?" Pinta asked hesitantly.

"We sail for Sailors Island." Don answered. He rubbed his new trophy; a shard of wood from the Blackbeard's stern before he slipped it into his pocket. "We need to refuel after that battle."

"Aye aye, Captain." was Pinta's dull reply.


	15. Hellos

15 Hellos:

Don could practically smell the reek of loqua before the New Hope had docked at Sailors Island. The captain trudged out of his ship and allowed his legs to get accustomed to solid ground. Khazim and Pinta would be down soon, but Marco was content to stay and sulk in the forecastle. Don sighed, the boy needed to grow up and the weary captain wanted no part of it.

The sun overhead bore down on the back of Don's neck and the white sand at his feet was warm. The cries of gulls made the captain flinch; if those birds thought to leave any presents on his ship he'd be very angry. Don turned his attention to the aromas that emitted from Polly's tavern nearby. His feet followed his nose and he quickly found Polly's door.

Inside, the smell of deep fried sardis overwhelmed everything else. Don enjoyed Urala's cooking, but every now and again a man craved something that wasn't wrapped in seaweed or on a bed of rice.

Polly's daughter, Ann, grinned in his direction as she deftly wove her way through the throng of patrons with a steaming platter propped on her shoulder. A blonde drunkard slapped Don's bottom as he made his way to the bar. Polly had a mug of loqua waiting for him.

"Well look at you!" Polly beamed. "Is Vyse with you? Today's just been a day for familiar faces."

"No. I'm the captain of my own ship now, actually." Don loosened the pink scarf around his neck with a jerky hand. "Could I have a cup of moonberry tea instead?"

"Moonberry tea?" Polly raised one finely plucked eyebrow.

"Yeah, moonberry tea." Don chuckled nervously. "I'm trying to break an old habit."

Polly smiled warmly. "Don, you can have anything you want here." She thought a moment before she added, "As long as it's legal."

"Thanks, I think." Don cleared his throat.

"I'll be right back with the kettle in a jiffy." Polly bobbed off into the kitchen.

Don nodded absentmindedly and turned inward. Polly had left the jack of loqua right in front of him and it taunted him. It had been easy to forget about the drink when he had been playing at captain aboard the New Hope, but now it sat so compellingly alluring in front of him.

One sip. No one would know and then Don could just slurp his moonberry tea down like a barbarian and be on his way. Polly wouldn't know, Kirala wouldn't know, Vyse wouldn't know, Fina wouldn't know, Marco wouldn't know and Urala wouldn't know.

Don would know. That final admission ate at him.

"Here's your tea, darling." Polly's voice shook Don from his thoughts.

His head jerked up and he caught the woman watching him carefully. Polly poured the contents of the kettle into a dainty cup. Her full lips were pursed in a frown.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Don nodded slowly. "I just think too much, I think."

"About what?" Polly wondered.

"About lots of things." Don reflected. "For instance, I was just thinking about how it looks like your dress is clinging for dear life to your hips."

Polly's look immediately hardened, though Don noticed a slight blush grace her cheeks.

"That's an awfully bold thing for you to say to a married woman." she warned. The woman's fingers drummed dangerously along the dark wood of the bar top.

"Will I be able to save my sorry hide if I casually mention that Robinson's a lucky man?" Don asked meekly.

"I already know that." Polly replied dryly.

Don clamped onto the small china cup with his thick fingers, forced his pinky outward and took a sip. The bitter taste of the black tea made him grimace. Perhaps, he thought retrospectively, he was not a "tea man."

"Maybe some milk or honey would make it taste better." Polly offered after she looked at his expression.

"I think it's just swell." Don muttered.

"I'm not paid well enough to put up with your attitude." Polly smiled darkly.

"How are things going here at Sailors Island, anyway?" Don tried to change the subject.

Fortunately, Polly abided. "You'd almost think it was the center of the universe." she mused. "Emperor Enrique and his wife made a pit stop here a few weeks ago before they headed to Crescent Isle. Probably for publicity, as if they needed any. Gilder and Aika just showed up and now you."

Don gagged on his tea. "What did you say?" he spluttered.

"Enrique and Moegi visited, followed by Gilder, Aika and the crew of the Claudia." Polly repeated. "I wonder, do you have any idea why that girl would have left Vyse?"

"Aika?" Don choked out.

"Yes, Aika." Polly confirmed. "Are you alright, hun? You don't look so good."

"Where is she now?" Don demanded.

"They all stayed at the inn last night. Gilder planned to leave here sometime today." Polly replied. She continued to watch the curious shade of green that Don's face was turning.

"I need to see for myself!" Don shoved his stool away from the bar and leapt to his feet. He took off into a sprint from the tavern.

"Don't worry; I'll put it on your tab." Polly called after him sardonically.

Don raced through the cobblestone streets of Sailors Island until he reached the dry tufts of grass and sand that framed the island. He scrambled to the docks in time to find Gilder watching over his crew as they loaded supplies onto the Claudia.

"Gilder!" Don cried as he ran towards the fellow captain.

Gilder waved nonchalantly. "Fancy seeing you here." he said.

Don collapsed into his knees as he panted desperately. "Is Aika with you?" he wheezed.

Gilder raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting 'hello.' Hang on, I'll get her."

Gilder turned around and cupped a hand around his mouth. "Hey, Red!" he called. "Get over here."

"Yeah, Captain?" Aika jogged over.

Her brown eyes grew to the size of saucers as they met with Don's. She stopped abruptly until her brain could regain control of her body. After a few seconds, a yip erupted from Aika's mouth and she dove behind Gilder's trench coat.

"Aika?" Don stammered.

Aika flinched. It looked as though she was trying to contract her boney frame into nothing.

"I think you've been caught, kid." Gilder chuckled.

The Claudia's captain slipped his cigarette case out from his pocket as he strolled off, leaving Aika exposed.

Aika gave a hoarse laugh. "Don. Hi."

"You're alive." Don managed.

The expression on Aika's face promptly died. "Alive? That's all you have to say?"

"We thought you were dead." he said. "We found your destroyed ship."

"Oh that." Aika said. "Baltor tried to kill me. Gilder rescued me. I've been a crew member of the Claudia ever since."

"We thought you were dead." Don repeated.

"Really?" One thick red braid brushed her shoulder as she cocked her head to one side. "I didn't think anyone would come looking for me."

"Well, we did." Don spluttered.

"So I'm dead now?" Aika asked.

"We had a funeral and everything." he replied.

"Oh." She grinned sheepishly.

"That's all you have to say? 'Oh.' Vyse nearly went loony afterwards." Don exclaimed. "He locked himself up alone in his room and everything."

"Really?" Aika asked quietly.

"Really." Don affirmed.

Aika stood there silent for a moment, her forehead wrinkled with thought.

"I never meant for that to happen." she said finally.

"Well, it did." Don said. "Will you come home?"

"Not yet." Aika looked down at her boots.

"I'm going to head back to Crescent Isle soon." The harsh sunlight revealed Don's true age. "I'll let Vyse know what you're up to."

"Don't!" Aika balked. "I mean, I can't handle that just yet."

"You want me to make that poor boy think his best friend and whatever else you are to him, is dead?" Don demanded.

"Don't yell." Aika pleaded. "Don't make Vyse think anything. Just don't let him know."

"On account of you being dead, I just did a very bad thing." Don growled. "I don't like that."

"Vyse isn't like you." Aika whispered.

"No, he's not." Don agreed. "I doubt he'd aim the largest gun on his ship at a fleeing life raft. But because he's not like me, he doesn't deserve to mope around heartbroken over someone who doesn't deserve his thoughts."

Her dark eyes narrowed. "What do you know about anything?"

"Not much it seems." Don chuckled bitterly. "A couple hours ago I was an avenger. Now I'm just a murderer."

"You can't blame that on me!" Aika hissed.

"I don't intend to." Don replied. "But when I arrive at Crescent Isle, what am I going to tell Vyse?"

"Please don't tell him anything about me." Aika begged.

"Do you plan on coming back to Crescent Isle?" he asked.

"Eventually." she said. "But it doesn't feel right just yet. I can't explain it."

"I'll let you stay dead for now." Don agreed. "But you have to come back someday. I'll give you six months."

"Thank you." Aika forced a smile to her lips.

"Don't thank me yet." Don muttered.

"I have to go." she murmured.

Aika offered Don a nod and scrambled off towards Gilder and the crew of the Claudia. Don shook his head ruefully and plodded back towards Polly's tavern.


	16. Code Clara

16 Code Clara:

Gilder could see his breath. He didn't like it. His cook had made a large vat of koketa noodle soup for the entire crew and that had numbed his irritation some. Sadly, however, Gilder's numbed irritation was slightly less numb than his toes. The Purple Moon was a cruel mistress.

But he had received a tip. An incalculable wealth was hidden in the Lands of Ice. Called the Glacian Atarah, it was a priceless moonstone encrusted tiara that had belonged to a girl queen. Fortunately, being a frigid pit of despair, most treasure seekers passed over Glacia for more enticing lands. If only he could figure out a way to tie blankets around his feet without upsetting his mobility then Gilder would have been a happy man.

The Claudia had been a quiet place to live ever since Leo had been bedridden. As zealous as the boy was, he simply was no match for the chill winds that lashed beneath the Purple Moon. The last time Gilder checked up on Leo, the blonde haired boy had been weighed down by thick bedding up to his neck, while Rodney force-fed him the koketa soup.

Gilder wasn't worried. Leo had managed to live after he faced the fury of Aika, the boy could survive a dinky little cold. All of Leo's duties involving the life rafts were passed on to Aika and all was well.

Gilder chuckled at the image as he leaned on the deck's railing. The silver crystalline sky was a reflection of the icy civilization below, which had remained silent for centuries. Time to shake things up a bit, Gilder thought to himself smugly.

The plan was simple enough. They'd land on the surface, travel beneath to the frozen civilization of Glacia, uncover the Atarah hidden in a tomb behind the Throne Room and get out. Once back on board the Claudia they'd all drink loqua to celebrate and eat rich foods that smelled… strangely of roses and vanilla?

Gilder jerked his head up and took in a deep breath of the current of air. Definitely roses and vanilla. The man wanted to squeal in terror. Instead, he let the adrenaline carry him as he raced beneath the deck of his ship.

"Listen up, everyone!" Gilder cried out. "We've got a Code Clara on our hands!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aika sighed and kicked the useless life raft. She had no idea what Leo had done to it, but it would only splutter out noxious clouds of blue smoke when she tried to activate it. For whatever reason, the raft wasn't optimizing its use of blue moon stones and a life raft not using its fuel source correctly only meant one thing: a downward spiral into oblivion for anyone stupid enough to try and use it.

Not that it mattered anyway. There were four other life rafts that functioned perfectly. Besides, she had more important things to think about.

Don had found her. Not only that, but everyone else thought she was dead. A fairly amazing feat to achieve in a few months time, Aika had to admit. But it wasn't what she had intended.

Aika scolded herself inwardly. She should have been more careful. If she hadn't chatted Polly up like nothing was wrong on Sailors Island, Don would have never discovered her. Of course, everyone on Crescent Isle would still believe she was dead regardless. They had a funeral for her and Aika missed it!

She should have asked Don about Vyse while she had the chance. See how he and Fina were hitting it off without her. Aika kicked the broken life raft again.

"Let's be honest now." Aika muttered to herself. "You really didn't want to know how they were hitting it off. That's part of the reason why you left. So you wouldn't have to watch that slop."

_But would you consider it slop if it were you instead of Fina?_ The little voice danced around the inside of Aika's skull like laughter. She scowled.

"I wonder what this Glacian Atarah is that Gilder keeps raving about." she announced.

It was an attempt to block out all thoughts that involved the dashingly handsome Blue Rogue that sported an eye patch. It worked for the time being. Aika always did have a soft spot in her heart for enormous monetary wealth by way of treasure.

The little platinum tiara dappled with priceless stones did sound lovely, but it was a miserable thing to be venturing out beneath the Purple Moon. Aika's normally pale skinned knees that peeked out from above her leather boots were red-purple in protest of the weather.

It wouldn't be so bad once she settled in and burrowed deep beneath the layers of blankets in her bed, but first she had work to do. Aika sighed and applied more cleaning polish to her rag and continued to scrub the wall paneling.

The sudden eruption of screams and thudding boots made Aika snap her head to attention. Were they being attacked? Not possible, the crew members' screams were followed by laughter. Aika hopped to her feet and dropped her rag.

She crept cautiously towards the door, curiosity overcoming any hint of hesitation or fear. The door burst open and Aika squawked as she fell on her bum.

Gilder rushed through the doorway. He took a moment to give Aika a devious wink before he dove into a life raft.

"What are you doing?" Aika demanded.

"No time." Gilder cut her off briskly. "Clara's on her way! I'll meet up with you guys on Glacia."

"Wait!" Aika's eyes bulged in horror as Gilder hastily jettisoned himself. "That raft's broken!"

Aika threw herself into the nearest life raft and followed suit. She killed the engine to her raft and plummeted after the trail of blue smoke.

Gilder was up ahead. As the wind ripped his dark hair free of its ponytail, the captain of the Claudia was busy trying to light the cigarette in his lips. It wasn't going well for him.

"Gilder!" Aika screamed. "I'm coming!"

"Not so loud!" Gilder hollered over the screech of the wind. "Clara might hear!"

Aika gunned the engine of her raft and pitched the tiny vessel downward. Gilder offered a nod of approval as she reached the side of his rapidly sinking raft. With a slight flourish, he stepped onto the other life raft.

"That was some fancy maneuvering." Gilder commented nonchalantly.

"Don't thank me yet." Aika warned.

The girl grappled the nose of the life raft and pulled upward with all her might. It did little to right the hastening descent

"I could use some help." she growled.

"I thought you had it under control." Gilder raised an eyebrow.

"Now!" Aika barked.

Gilder's chuckle was drowned by the wind as he shuffled over to her side and began to help. Between the two of them, they managed to jerk the front of the ship up from its spiraling plunge.

Aika clapped her hands together gleefully as the raft was caught on a cushion of air and began to right itself. Aika's celebration was cut short, however, when Gilder tapped her on her shoulder.

She looked up at him and he appeared to be fairly disgruntled. Gilder merely pointed out in front of the life raft. Aika followed his finger to the menacing ice wall that loomed before them.

Once again, Gilder attempted to light the cigarette in his mouth. Aika sucked in a deep breath of air just in time to shriek as they crashed headlong into the dire landscape.


	17. Rescue

17 Rescue:

"Gilder?" Clara's voice echoed over Glacia's topography. "Oh dear. This isn't good. Can somebody explain to me what happened?"

"You see, Miss Clara, we was explorin' Glacia." a scruffy looking member of the Claudia explained.

The sailor scratched his stubbly chin nervously. Rodney, Clara thought he said his name was. If he put on a clean shirt, she could set him up with Belle. Her gunner always had a thing for rough looking men.

"Cap'in Gilder went ahead to scout a landin' area. He must've lost control of his raft an' crashed." Rodney concluded.

"But where's Gilder?" Clara asked. "The life raft is here, but Gilder's not."

The tattered remains of the life raft were at their feet. The yellow craft had a jagged crack down the side of it where it had nearly been torn in two.

Rodney frowned. "The only thing I can gather from this mess is that this wall he crashed into was hollow." he muttered. "It was prolly a tunnel that led from the ancient civilization to the outside world. So if we're lucky, Cap'in Gilder's on the other side of this caved in debris."

"And if we're not lucky?" Clara said hesitantly.

"Then Cap'in Gilder's underneath all this caved in debris." Rodney announced grimly.

Clara gasped and fanned the frozen air at her face with a gloved hand. "Oh my." she murmured. "That's really bad."

"Aye." Rodney replied.

"You know, I received a tip from Polly back at Sailors Island that Gilder would be heading this way and that's why I stopped by." Clara said. The color had drained from the woman's face.

"Polly?" Rodney chuckled. "That woman's a meddler."

"I even wore a new outfit for the occasion." Clara continued, dazed. "I thought maybe Gilder would notice. Maybe he'd think it looked pretty on me."

"Aye. That's a lovely pink frock you've got on there." Rodney turned and watched Clara carefully.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Rodney grabbed her by her shoulders as her knees buckled. Clara glanced up at him, her large brown eyes misted with tears.

"What if he's dead?" she asked.

"Oy! Enough of that nonsense." Rodney demanded.

He stood Clara back up. When he was positive that she wouldn't tip over if he let go, Rodney freed his hand to slap her cheek a few times.

Clara's mouth hung open in shock, her hand grazed the flush mark on her cheek. "Don't you care if Gilder's dead?" she spluttered.

"Of course I do, he's me Cap'in." Rodney replied matter-of-factly. "I care if he's dead, but that's a big 'if,' Miss. I'm thinkin' we'll be lucky an' we'll find Cap'in Gilder on the other side of this crushed wall."

"I—I think you're right, Rodney." Clara looked at him, her eyes steeled with a newfound determination, her unshed tears a memory.

"Course I'm right." Rodney said.

"Belle!" Clara commanded. "Nara! Lilly! We've got work to do!"

The three girls scurried out of the Primrose, all wearing matching mittens and earmuffs. Belle reached Clara first and offered a salute.

"Captain?" the girls said in unison.

"My man is on the other side of this mound of shattered ice." Clara said with a hint of calculated fanaticism. "We are going to dig him out."

"How romantic!" Nara gave an excited swoon.

Lilly giggled as she made her way towards the wreckage. Belle looked at Clara expectantly.

"Do you ladies need any help?" Rodney asked.

Clara shook her head. "The crew of the Primrose will be fine here." she said. "I want the Claudia to fly out of here as fast as she can to Crescent Isle."

"What do you expect us to do at Crescent Isle, Miss Clara." Rodney wondered.

"Ask Vyse the Legend for assistance." Clara replied. "The girls and I will start clearing out the debris here, but we're going to need help. Vyse can make use of his Cutlass Fury and Miss Fina can cast magic. In a worse case scenario we'll also need medicine, bandages, splints and blankets. And hot chocolate. Lots of hot chocolate. Is that clear?"

"Aye aye, Miss." Rodney saluted Clara before he jogged back to the Claudia.

Clara could vaguely hear Rodney's crude shouts as he gathered his crew to race to Crescent Isle, but her mind was elsewhere. She brushed a ringlet of hair from her face and grabbed a large chunk of ice.

"Gilder, I'm coming darling." Clara promised.


	18. Tokens of Affection

18 Tokens of Affection:

It was an instinctive decision to enter the tavern immediately. That's what Don told himself as he tried to slink into the dimly lit abode unnoticed.

He twisted the small square of linen in his hand nervously. When Don had purchased it from the merchant in Nasr it had been fresh and stiff, but through incessant wrings of his hand the material had gradually become softer. Maybe she would like it, if not it didn't really matter. He had found a replacement for the soiled handkerchief he now kept in his coat pocket. Pinta was good for many things, scrubbing dried blood from white cotton, however, wasn't one of those things.

She was there behind the counter like he expected she would be. Her sleek black hair brushed over her bird-like shoulders as she hurried from patron to patron in a bizarre sort of timid determination. Don smirked at the thought of her being hollow boned, of her taking flight.

Her face was layered with a sheen of perspiration as she worked her wok with a practiced hand. As she flipped the beef and vegetables, Don caught a whiff of the heavy fats and oils they were cooking in. He sat down at the bar.

"I knew you'd be back." Urala said. "So I made sukiyaki."

"How do you know I like sukiyaki?" Don asked.

"You're one of the only non-Yafutomans who can pronounce 'sukiyaki' correctly." Urala kept her eyes averted. She placed two small cups in front of him, one with soy sauce, the other with raw egg.

"Thank you."

She lowered her head so far while she focused on filling the plate with sukiyaki, that Don could hardly notice her slight smile. He bit back a sigh and concentrated on the intricate dragons in the Arita porcelain. He couldn't recall Urala ever using those dishes before, perhaps, he reflected, he had been too drunk.

He could feel the girl's eyes on him, but when Don looked at her, Urala turned her gaze back down at the plate. It was just as well, Don decided, he found those inky black eyes unsettling.

"You look like you want to say something." he said.

Urala's mouth opened, like a dumbfounded marroca that had found itself in the talons of a roc. She closed her mouth in a slow, controlled effort; her lips formed a plump line of pink.

"Well?" Don asked.

"You look unhappy." Urala said quietly. "Do you not like sukiyaki?"

Don grinned wryly. "No, the sukiyaki's fine." He made a point to shovel a forkful into his mouth.

"Are you not well?" she asked.

"I guess you could say that." Don reflected.

"I could fix you some egg drop soup in koketa broth and some tea." Urala offered.

"No, it's nothing like that." Don muttered.

Urala nodded. "You don't feel like talking."

"There's no point in troubling you with things already done." Don agreed. "But thanks."

"There's no need to thank me." Urala murmured.

"I have something for you." Don said.

Urala blinked. She had stubby lashes, Don noted. They made her look childish.

"Here." He pushed the linen handkerchief over the bar.

Cautiously, as if the cloth would bite her, Urala grazed the material with her fingers. Worry lines creased her forehead.

"Why did you do this?" she asked.

"I owed you one." he replied.

"I said not to bother." Color blossomed in the girl's cheeks and rapidly enveloped the rest of her face.

"I couldn't do that." Don said. "I ruined yours. It'd be rude if I didn't do something about it."

Urala's bottom lip quivered as her fingers traced the expensive embroidery along the handkerchief's hem. "I can't accept this." she murmured.

"Why not?" Don asked. "Did you have your heart set on cotton? I went with linen because I liked the embroidered birds."

Urala smiled warmly and shook her head. "Are you really so naïve?"

"You don't want it?"

"Urala, some warm sake please. I've had a rough day."

As Kirala's voice filtered through the pub's door, Urala's usually placid face was struck with panic. The way she flung her hand out over the bar, Don half expected the girl to grab him by his jacket's collar and throw him over to the other side with her. Instead, she clenched the handkerchief and jerked it behind her back.

Kirala walked over to the bar and eyed her wide-eyed sister suspiciously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was making sukiyaki." Urala blurted out.

Kirala raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Perhaps tomorrow you'll make us something different." she suggested. "You've prepared sukiyaki every night for well over a week now. Some people tire of it."

Urala nodded frantically. "Yes."

Kirala sat at the bar and glanced at Don. She cleared her throat.

"Let me get you your sake." Urala said.

Don ventured a few more bites, before he pushed his plate away. He stood up and gave the sisters a polite nod each.

"I need to speak with Captain Vyse." Don said. "Thank you for the supper, Urala. I enjoyed it." He turned around and left the tavern.

Outside, Don took a deep breath and shook his head. Things didn't exactly go as he had planned. He supposed that he should feel fortunate enough to be able to finish his business; some men never got the chance.

"Well look at this! It looks like someone's been sucking on the backend of a koketa!" The characteristic cackling wheeze was all Don needed to hear to know it was Brabham.

Don glared sourly at the old man, only to earn more laughter. The way Brabham's body convulsed with mirth, Don half expected the other man to gag on the white fluff of his scraggly beard. No such luck. Brabham wiped a tear from his eye and patted Don on his shoulder.

"Now, what's the sense in that haggard look?" Brabham asked.

"My last few moments in this world and I have to put up with this?" Don muttered. "Unbelievable."

"Last few moments in this world?" Brabham cried incredulously. "Son, with the life I've lived even I've managed to stagger to a ripe old age."

"Ripe old age?" Don replied dryly. "I didn't think thirty-two was old."

The jest caused more crowing laughter from the old man. Brabham's slender, leathery limbs made Don think of kindling.

"That's more like it." Brabham encouraged. "Now, what's all this nonsense you're babbling about?"

"I killed a man unjustly." Don said. "I'm going to tell Captain Vyse, let him deal with me."

"If the boy didn't know, it wouldn't hurt him." Brabham replied. "Why are you bothering to put yourself on the line?"

"Because it's my fault." Don explained. "I'm afraid if I let it go, Khazim or Pinta will decide that they're to blame and confess instead. I'm not going to let my crew torture themselves over my decisions."

The old man nodded. "It makes sense." he said. "But what are you doing at the pub if you've made your choice?"

"Oh, that? I gave Urala a new handkerchief to replace one I ruined." Don replied. "I just wanted to tie up old business in case I'm executed."

"How romantic." Brabham rolled his eyes.

"What?" Don demanded.

"Don't insult my intelligence." Brabham had a smarmy grin plastered on his weathered face. "How did the lady react?"

"Now that you mention it, she did act kind of weird." Don admitted. "She got all red faced and tried to refuse it. What's this all about, Brabham?"

Brabham doubled over with guffaws. "You really don't know?"

"Brabham…"

"Alright, alright!" The old man gasped for air. "I can't believe the foolish youth. Haven't you ever heard of exchanging handkerchiefs, boy?"

"What are you talking about, old man?" Don decided that if he lived, he would have to stay away from Brabham. The engineer was going to give him a twitch.

"A token of affection between lovers, you idiot!" More laughter erupted.

"Don't blow a lung…" Don murmured weakly. Already, the sailor could feel his face being overwhelmed by wave after wave of heat.

"Congratulations!" Brabham punched Don's arm lightly.

"I'm going to find Captain Vyse." Don muttered.

He stumbled away from the hysterical Brabham. If Vyse chose to forgive him, Don thought that he might just have to die of embarrassment instead.


	19. Promises Kept

19 Promises Kept:

_You.__ You are wrong._

What did that mean anyway? Even after Vyse had pleaded with the fortune teller to elaborate, she had been cryptic.

_You are walking down the correct path, but what leads you is wrong._ Kalifa certainly knew how to get her money's worth. If she was too literal the first time, Vyse doubted that she would have repeat customers.

Maybe it didn't mean anything. Kalifa had told Vyse his fortune before and a good deal of what had been said was garbage. But Kalifa had seemed rather insistent this time around.

"Vyse? Are you alright?"

Vyse jerked his head up from his desk and looked at Fina. "Yeah. I'm fine."

_If it had been Aika, she would have snuck up from behind and leapt onto my back._ He shook the thought from his mind. Of course he missed her, he'd just have to get used to it.

"Urala has dinner ready." Fina ventured. "Would you like to come get some?"

"Is it sukiyaki again?" Vyse asked.

Fina nodded.

Vyse groaned, but as he stood up he planted a soft kiss on the Silvite's cheek. "Thanks. I'll be right down."

Fina blushed. "I'll save a seat for you." She slipped through the door and scurried off.

Vyse made a final glance back to the leather bound journal on his desk before he followed after Fina. He was stopped at the door by Don.

"Captain." Don said.

"Captain." Vyse replied.

"We need to talk." Don said.

"Can it wait?" Vyse asked. "I was just about to have dinner."

"No." Don insisted. "I've waited too long already."

"Alright." Vyse nodded towards a chair. "Have a seat."

Don tugged at his goatee as he shuffled over towards a seat at the massive table. He waited, his brows furrowed with anxiety until Vyse also sat.

"Well?" Vyse asked.

"Baltor's dead." Don blurted out. "The Blackbeard's been destroyed."

"Really?" Vyse asked. "Were you listening to crazy rumors at Sailors Island again? Why couldn't this have waited until after dinner?"

"Because I was the one that did it." Don replied.

"You're not lying."

The grave expression on Don's face was all Vyse needed to confirm that.

"Why did you do that?" Vyse asked. "Were you trying to prove yourself?"

"No, nothing like that." Don sighed. "Baltor actually attacked first."

"So you were defending yourself?" Vyse wanted to know. "You're not making much sense."

"No. I wanted to kill him." Don answered. "He claimed to have murdered Aika."

Don noticed the bulging veins in the boy captain's hand as he tightened his fist. White knuckles and red tendons.

"Did Baltor kill Aika?" The deadly calm in Vyse's voice made Don shiver.

"No." Don replied.

"How do you know that?" Vyse asked.

"I…" Don faltered.

He looked up at Vyse and swallowed hard. As he stared into the single minded ferocity that was in Vyse's dark eyes, realization dawned on the former Valuan that he had backed himself into a corner.

"It wasn't Baltor." Don finished weakly.

"Who was it?" Vyse demanded.

"That's not the point." Don retorted. "I murdered a man unjustly. That's what I needed to tell you."

"What you need to tell me is how you know for certain that Baltor didn't kill Aika." Vyse bit into every word.

"I found out that he was bluffing on Sailors Island." Don wiped at the sweat beads on his forehead with Urala's blood stained handkerchief.

Vyse slammed his fist against the tabletop. "Then you must know who did kill her." he insisted.

"I—"

"Now, Don!"

The normally happy-go-lucky Vyse the Legend was the closest to rage that Don could ever recall. He opened his mouth to put the boy out of his misery when a little, probably suicidal, voice in the back of his head reminded him that he had given his word. Six months, that's what he had told her approximately a month ago.

"I can't." Don sounded apologetic.

"You can't?" Vyse bellowed. "My best friend's murderer is out there free and you can't tell me?"

"I gave my word, Captain." Don said. "I can't go back on it."

"How about I give my word to string you up and extract that information from you in the most painful way possible?" Vyse growled. "Do you have any idea what Aika meant to me? How can you willingly keep that from me? You're concealing a murderer!"

"Captain, I killed Baltor because I thought he was Aika's murderer." Heat was entering Don's voice. "How can you think that I'd safeguard a killer? The only murderer here is me."

"I can't believe this!" Vyse exploded.

"I gave my word." Don insisted. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anything. Not yet."

"Not yet?" Vyse spluttered.

"Not yet." Don affirmed.

Vyse laughed. "I'm going to call an island meeting for tomorrow night. Maybe you'll feel like saying something then."

"And if I don't?" Don asked.

"Baltor's murder can't go unpunished." Vyse said. "At tomorrow's meeting I'm going to have to sentence you."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Don demanded.

"I have to go." Vyse said tersely. "Fina's waiting for me."

Don was left alone in the Captain's Quarters as Vyse stormed out. The older man stared at his handkerchief and smoothed it out with his knobby, callused fingers.

"Well, that went well." Don muttered to himself.


	20. Claudia

20 Claudia:

"Quick, kid. How many arms do I have still attached?"

"Hang on. I'll let you know once I stop seeing doubles."

Secure with the idea that she wasn't dead, Aika relaxed enough to whimper. Sprawled out next to her on the cold ground, Gilder still had a broken cigarette clamped in his teeth.

"I wonder if this means that I've died twice?" Aika giggled. It was stopped short by the ache in her ribs.

"Don't start thinking like that," Gilder warned. "My crew will come for us."

"So what now, Captain?" she asked. "Are we supposed to just wait for them to save us?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Gilder pushed himself up into a sitting position. His cigarette in terrible disrepair, he spat it to the ground. "Are you hurt badly?"

"I don't think so," Aika replied. "I'm just really cold."

"And you look like you've been thrown face first through a wall." Gilder smirked.

"Like you're any better," Aika snorted. "Or will you try to tell me that _sexy windblown_ look was intentional?"

"Depends," Gilder replied. "How sexy is this windblown look?"

"It looks like a Gigas has been chewing on your head," Aika retorted.

"Fair enough." Gilder nodded. He pointed at her head. "You might want to consider braiding those again."

Aika stuck out her tongue.

"At any rate, we should see if we can find that Atarah," Gilder said. "If only to keep us busy."

"Sounds like a good idea." Aika hopped to her feet and immediately regretted it. The girl doubled over with pain and collapsed onto her face. "Oww…"

"What's wrong, Aika?" Gilder asked.

She felt his hands on her shoulders as he gently rolled her onto her back.

"Oww," Aika repeated. "My leg."

"Which leg?" he asked.

Gilder gently examined one leg with his fingers. She glared at him indignantly. He shook his head and moved to the next one. Aika yelped and Gilder nodded his head.

"Broken," he groaned. "Sacri?"

"I could." Aika nodded. "But I'm still exhausted from the crash. I'll need a nice long nap after I heal myself."

"Is that supposed to be an argument against healing yourself?" Gilder asked. "I'm not going to carry you around all of Glacia."

Aika giggled. "I didn't mean that," she said. "I just meant that I'll need some sleep."

"Well, then get to it," Gilder replied. "Go to sleep."

"I'm cold." Aika sulked.

"You knew back on Sailors Island that we were heading to Glacia." Gilder raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought you'd have the sense to at least pick up some knee warmers."

"It's not this cold onboard the ship," she argued weakly.

Gilder shook his head as he took a seat beside her. "Come here," he muttered.

Gilder gingerly held Aika's injured leg above the ground as she squirmed towards him. He undid the buttons to his trench coat and when the girl was nestled safely against his chest, he pulled the coat around them both and buttoned it shut.

"Don't get any funny ideas," Aika warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Gilder replied dryly. "Weren't you going to cast Sacri?"

"I'm getting to it."

Her large brown eyes squeezed shut as Aika concentrated. A warm green light enveloped her body only to shoot out at her injured limb. Aika gasped as the heat entered her leg only to leave the rest of her frame shivering.

"Did it work?" Gilder asked.

Aika nodded and grinned weakly. "I'm sleepy," she yawned as the verdant sheen slowly dissipated from her leg.

"I never used to have this much trouble," Gilder muttered.

The Claudia's captain reached up and tugged at the ribbons that held the girl's frazzled braids. As Aika's heavy lidded eyes fluttered shut, Gilder began to finger comb her braids out.

"Tangled mess," he grumbled.

"Gilder?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you run away from Clara?" Aika asked. "It seems like more trouble than it's worth."

"Why did you run away from Crescent Isle?" he replied.

"That's different." Aika sighed. "Besides, Clara's nice. There's a part of me that thinks you two would be right together."

Gilder rolled his eyes. "That part of you probably also finds Vigoro irresistible."

"I can't believe you even mentioned that goon's name." She nuzzled her cheek deeper into the warmth of Gilder's chest. "Clara and Vigoro are in no way similar."

"You and I both avoid them like a plague," Gilder retorted.

"Vigoro's a pig," Aika argued. "Clara's a wonderful lady."

"That's a stretch." Gilder chuckled. "I'd call Clara several things, but wonderful probably wouldn't be one of them."

"Now you're just being mean." Aika's speech was slurred with exhaustion.

"You didn't let me finish," Gilder chided gently. "If I was to call Clara anything, it would probably be idealist, innocent or naïve. Don't tell her I said so, but Clara's a good girl."

Aika twisted around in her seat. Gilder felt the girl's nose lightly graze his chin as she looked up at him.

"If you think Clara's such a good girl, then why do you always run away from her?" she asked.

"I like to think of it as my gift to her," Gilder said.

"That makes no sense," Aika scoffed.

"Sure it does," Gilder replied. "I'd be a fool to actually think Clara loves me. The woman has no idea who I am. She's in love with the idea of me."

"Well, why don't you give her the chance to fall in love with the real Gilder?" Aika asked.

"Because she wouldn't fall in love with the real Gilder," he answered.

"You never know unless you try," Aika urged.

Gilder chuckled. "Maybe you should try taking some of your own advice."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Aika turned away from him and pouted.

Gilder ignored her. "I suppose that makes me a coward in a sense," he continued. "If I let Clara catch up with me, she would learn who I was. She'd hear the obscene nicknames that I've given my crew members, she'd see what I was like after drinking too much loqua, she'd learn how many other women have been in my company for a single night. She'd leave and never look back. The way it is now, Clara has her dream and I'm not completely alone."

"I never thought someone as free spirited as yourself would be afraid of being alone," Aika mumbled.

"I never thought you'd run away from Vyse so we're even," Gilder replied. "Well, maybe you would. If there was treasure involved."

Aika laughed. "You know, you're really not that bad, Gilder. I'm not so certain Clara would want to leave despite your vices."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I don't think that I'd leave if it were me," Aika said.

"Flattery will get you everywhere. Keep it up, kid," Gilder snorted.

He felt the redheaded girl's icy fingers on his chest as she brought herself up to his eyelevel. His eyes looked so small reflected in hers. He could tell that Aika was studying him, her lips pursed in thought.

"Are you really so sad?" she whispered.

"Sometimes," he admitted.

"When I looked to the future, I couldn't see anything for myself other than waiting for nothing," Aika confessed. "But there wasn't really any other place for me to go."

"There are always other places to go," Gilder said. "Like the Claudia. I don't recommend stopping by Glacia for a picnic, though."

"Should I really be part of the Claudia's crew?" she asked.

"It's okay," Gilder said.

He felt Aika's wind burned lips brush against his own. Feather soft at first, Gilder hardly noticed until she pressed harder. Desperation was mingled with the salt of her flesh. Aika dug her fingers into his chest as her untrained mouth sought out the older man's nose, chin, neck.

Gilder gently brought his hands to her shoulders as she nipped his ear and pulled the girl away from him.

"Knock it off," he said sternly.

Aika froze, her eyes wide. "What?"

"You heard me," Gilder replied. "I won't put up with this nonsense."

"I don't understand," she murmured.

"You're a horrible liar," Gilder retorted. "When I look into your eyes I see another man. I'm not going to destroy you on account of another notch in my belt. I've already got plenty."

Aika tried to jerk away but was caught in their shared coat. She settled for a punch to his gut instead.

"I'm not good enough for you! Clara's not good enough for you!" Aika bellowed. "Who is? Don't you try telling me that you run away for her sake. Selfish illusions of grandeur, that's what it is!"

Tears brimmed in the girl's eyes as Gilder sat patiently.

"And you're there trying to pump me full of advice this whole time," she raged. "You know nothing about love and life and sacrifice. The only things you know about are harlots and loqua."

"Her eyes were too blue," Gilder said. "Her lips, too red. Her hair was a frizzy tangled mess that whipped maniacally in the wind. She was one of the only truly alive things in this blasted world."

Aika stopped abruptly. Only a single tear trailed down her otherwise frozen face.

"Who?" she asked.

"Claudia," Gilder replied.

"Is she—"

"Dead? Yeah, but it was one heck of an explosion." Gilder smiled.

"That doesn't sound like something to grin about," Aika whispered.

"We're air pirates; do you really want to die old and safe in your bed?" Gilder asked.

"I never really thought about it," Aika mumbled.

"Everybody dies, you can't escape that," Gilder said. "But not everyone is able to die while simultaneously infuriating the Valuan Navy."

"When did you get to be so smart?" Aika laughed.

"Somebody had to be ever since the old man died," Gilder answered.

"Drachma?"

"What other old man would I be talking about?" Gilder asked.

Aika shrugged and resituated herself against his chest.

"I wasn't sure how you felt about him," she admitted. "Why didn't you ever show up for the funeral?"

"I have my memories of him, I know who he was." Gilder brushed at the girl's hair with a lazy hand. "I didn't want to have to think of a corpse in a box every time I remembered him."

"Gilder?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to go home."


	21. Verdict

21 Verdict:

The sky was splayed with pinks and oranges as the sun set. Don would have preferred to hide within the safe confines of Crescent Isle's tavern, but he felt he owed it to himself to fully experience potentially his final day alive.

So he had sat at the edge of the floating island by the pond. He buried his bare feet into the sand by the pond's shore and wrote. Letters to Vyse, badly structured poetry for Fina, an apology to Marco, dirty jokes for Brabham; he wrote a small prayer for Khazim, an explanation for Kirala and a recipe for beer baked sardis for Pinta, nothing for Osman.

Most of it had been a waste. Don crumpled another piece of paper and watched it flutter over the edge of the island down into the abyss. Rubbish. It was impossible to include a lifetime of thoughts in a single letter. Only one sheet of paper escaped his angry hands. A note addressed to Urala. A sentence, really. It was the least he could do for her. Of course, they'd have to pry the paper from his cold, dead hands because there was no way he'd have the ability to just give it to the woman.

"Do you mind if I join you?" The kind timbre and highbred accent gave Enrique away immediately.

"Suit yourself, Highness," Don replied. He folded his note up and slipped it into his pocket.

The Emperor colored at the title and sat besides the sailor. "It's a beautiful sunset," he offered.

"Not half bad," Don muttered.

"I noticed that you've avoided everyone all day," Enrique said.

"Just needed some time to myself," Don grunted. "To think some things through."

"Did you reach any conclusions?" Enrique asked.

"Not really," Don admitted. "It's funny, you live your life telling yourself that you're living. I mean, what else could you be doing? But when you really think about it, even that stool that you existed on in Esperanza for years doesn't have a single sign that you've ever been there."

"What happened that made your thoughts so macabre?" Enrique asked. The Emperor pulled his arms around his fine woolen jacket tightly.

"When do you plan on dying, Emperor?" Don asked.

Enrique flinched. "That's not exactly something I intend on planning," he replied. "That's a bit ghastly, Don."

"Don't you think you should?" Don pressed. "Your missus has got a kid on the way, two if that loopy fortune teller knows anything, you really shouldn't be throwing caution to the wind now."

"I'm not," Enrique insisted. "But people die everyday, Don. It's not something that one can plan for. Let me assure you that my family will be well taken care of."

"Look," Don sighed. "I know you're trying to be nice and considerate. You take time away from your missus and come out here to make me feel better, but forget it. I'm not ready for that yet."

Enrique clapped a gloved hand on Don's shoulder. "If that's what you believe, friend, I'll let you be."

"Yeah, let me alone," Don grunted.

As he watched the Valuan ruler retreat, Don almost felt sorry. He flicked a clump of sand off his big toe and collected his boots. Despite the scratching of leftover sand caked on his feet, Don slipped his boots on and pulled the laces tight. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the wary sailor didn't want to be anywhere near the edge of the island past dusk.

"It might be convenient if I just fall off," he grumbled as he shuffled inland.

Lanterns blazed around the fountain at the center of the island brightly, and Don noticed a small gathering. Osman was difficult to miss, the glare of the lantern light that reflected off the woman's yellow dress was blinding. She was agitated, her lips sucked back fretfully into her jowls.

The cluster grew as the doors to the tavern opened. At Fina's urging, Kirala strode over to Osman and the others with Urala slinking quietly after her sister.

Don headed towards Pinta and tapped the small man on the shoulder. Pinta leapt from his spot and clutched his chest as he gathered his wits.

"Captain Don!" he spluttered. "You startled me."

"What's going on here?" Don asked.

"An island meeting of sorts," Pinta explained. "Captain Vyse called for it approximately half an hour ago."

"Sounds like fun," Don muttered.

When the general din hushed, Don knew that could only mean one thing. Vyse the Legend had arrived.

Vyse greeted his crew with his infamous smile, but his eyes were somber. Instead of creating a makeshift lectern and making a spectacle of himself, he ventured into the center of the group and allowed them to form a circle around him.

While Marco curiously pushed his way to the front of the circle, Don was content to hang back. Vyse scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I guess you all want to know why I called this gathering tonight," Vyse began.

He paused while Pinta nodded his head. Fina walked over towards Vyse's side and gave him a questioning glance.

"First and foremost, I'd like to apologize," Vyse announced.

Murmurs rose from the crowd, but their captain continued.

"These past few months have been difficult on everybody, not just me," Vyse said. "But while everyone else managed to go about their daily lives, I let the responsibilities that I shouldered be unattended.

"I'd also like to apologize to Don."

Don cleared his throat uncomfortably as he felt all eyes turn to him. He tried to casually loosen the scarf around his neck.

"Don came to me to confess that in a fit of rage he murdered the Black Pirate, Baltor," Vyse explained. "Baltor had claimed to be responsible for Aika's death. Don later found out that this wasn't the case. I got angry when he wouldn't explain how he knew that Baltor wasn't Aika's killer and said some harsh things. I was ready to do anything it took to get him to talk, but Fina helped me realize that it was his right to remain silent and that I was wrong. So, sorry, Don."

A slight wheeze was the only sign that the air in Don's lungs had suddenly left. Don decided that it had to have been relief, not shock. The sailor was prepared to slouch off into the night when Vyse spoke again.

"My apology doesn't rectify the fact that Don is guilty of a crime, however," Vyse announced. "He needs to be punished and I've thought long on what would be both fitting and just."

Don blanched. He reached into his pocket and reached for his handkerchief nervously. It felt like it was caught on something, so he gave it a strong jerk. His eyes on the expressions of the crowd, Don ignored the slip of paper that the handkerchief hoisted from his pocket and sent flittering to the ground.

"What is this? Don is to be sentenced only? My actions alongside his proved just as deadly. Why should he shoulder all the blame?" The dark, liquid Nasrean accent made Don cringe.

"Khazim!" Don groaned. "Do yourself a favor and shut up."

"And why is this?" Khazim demanded. "My honor is at stake, to not take my share of the blame is despicable."

"Pinta, you talk some sense into him," Don implored.

"I believe that it's his decision to make, Captain Don," Pinta said apologetically.

"My decision had been made," Khazim declared.

"You people are all mad," Don grumbled.

"Enough," Vyse cut in sternly. "If Khazim wants to take responsibility for his actions, I'll grant him that. Khazim, I'll speak with you afterwards to get your version of events."

Khazim nodded triumphantly before he stepped back into the group's mass. Don shook his head as he knotted his fingers into the cloth of his handkerchief.

"Normally, the murder of a fellow air pirate is rewarded with death," Vyse explained. "But I felt that given the circumstances, that was a bit harsh. Baltor was a Black Pirate and Black Pirates have always been the sworn enemies to Blue Rogues. If the situation were reversed, I doubt that they would be having a trial, they'd probably be celebrating.

"Don also was under the impression at the time that he was avenging a fellow Blue Rogue, a worthy cause. But he was mistaken and it was a careless mistake. A mistake that shouldn't be made by one who holds the title of Captain. He was careless with the New Hope, so, he'll lose the New Hope. He was careless with the title of Captain, so he is no longer a captain. Don will be, for all intents and purposes, as he was when we found him in Esperanza."

The murmurs of the crowd signaled that it was over. Don stood frozen for a moment, gap jawed. He was still alive.

"Captain," Don called out.

"Yes?" Vyse asked.

"I've got a request for you," Don said.

"What's that?"

"The New Hope. It needs a new captain, doesn't it?" Don replied.

"I guess it does," Vyse answered.

"I think it should go to Marco," Don said.

"Marco?" Vyse grinned. "He's still a little young yet, isn't he?"

"And so were you when you first got your hands on the Delphinus," Don retorted. "You haven't seen what that kid is capable of with a steering wheel in his hands. I'd really consider it if I were you."

"I'll do that," Vyse replied.

"Vyse!" Fina exclaimed. "Someone's trying to dock at Crescent Isle. It looks like the Claudia."

"I wonder what Gilder's up to," Vyse murmured. "I haven't seen him in ages."

Don watched the Silvite girl latch on to her captain's arm as they hurried to the docks. He fought the urge to follow them and instead stood stiffly and watched their forms get devoured by shadow. He wasn't Captain Don anymore, he supposed he wasn't even Blue Rogue Don anymore. The only thing he could safely claim to be was washed-up sailor drunkard Don.

Brabham began to snuff out some of the lanterns surrounding the fountain as the crowd dispersed. Don felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Marco.

"Who says I want your ship?" Marco demanded.

"And here I thought the correct phrase was 'thank you'," Don replied.

"I don't want anything to do with your ship," Marco decided.

"Kid, didn't you hear Vyse?" Don asked. "It's not my ship. Not anymore. It wasn't the ship's fault, it was mine and if you believe Khazim, his. If we had listened to you or Pinta we wouldn't be in this mess. But you deserve a ship, so why not take that one?"

"I don't want your ship!" Marco snapped.

Don watched the boy stalk off, his lower lip jutting out dangerously.

"Brat," Don muttered.

In the background, Don could swear he heard Kalifa carrying on a conversation with some stray koketa. He shuddered and ignored Brabham's snickers as he trudged over to the tavern. Maybe Urala would have some moonberry tea on the kettle.


	22. To Forget

22 To Forget:

No one tried to talk to Don as he entered the tavern. Mealtime was over; the only scents that permeated the area were loqua, cider and coffee. Don reflected that perhaps he should try his luck with coffee instead of moonberry tea.

Brabham took Izmael by the shoulder and led his friend to the door. At the entrance of the pub, the short builder halted and brought his fingers to his lips. Brabham shook his head as Izmael let loose a shrill whistle. The rest of the tavern's inhabitants knew better than to argue. Everyone left their seats and followed the older men out of the place.

Don snorted. Was he supposed to be treated as an outcast? The only two that remained in the tavern were Kirala, who appeared to be oblivious to Brabham and Izmael's command and Urala, whose dark gaze penetrated the former sailor.

"Could I get a drink?" Don asked as he sat at the bar.

"You drink too much," Kirala said. She hovered over her younger sister.

"Yeah, that moonberry tea goes right through you," Don retorted.

The clink of china being set on the bar top was the only sound as Urala served Don his tea. Her expression had an unwavering certainty that Don found disconcerting. It was her eyes, he decided, those pools of shadow that seemed to be sucking him in and dissecting his motives.

"You trust him with the fine porcelain, sister?" Kirala asked.

"He hasn't broken it yet," Urala said quietly.

"I don't need any fancy porcelain." Don shrugged. "If it makes your sister nervous, I won't drink out of them."

"Please, drink it," Urala urged. Her face was placid, but her eyes raged.

Don swallowed a hard lump in his throat and took a sip. I was still moonberry tea. It still tasted atrocious.

"Thanks," Don muttered.

"You seem upset, Urala," Kirala noted.

"That's because I am," Urala replied.

"Would you like to discuss it?" Kirala asked. She made a crude gesture to Don. "Away from prying ears?"

"Yes I would," Urala said. "Please excuse us, Kirala."

Don gagged on his tea. A red flush passed over Kirala's cheeks. She glared indignantly at the tea sipping sailor, but pride swallowed any splutters before they crossed her lips.

"You wish to speak with _him_?" Kirala tried to sound as if she had suspected it all along.

"We have much to discuss," Urala replied. Her tightlipped mouth formed a narrow line on her face.

"Do you think it wise to be left alone with him?" Kirala asked. "You're a sweet, innocent young girl."

"I'm still here," Don announced.

The sisters ignored him.

"I will be fine," Urala insisted.

"You truly believe that?" Kirala pressed.

"I do," Urala replied.

"If that's what you believe," Kirala said grudgingly.

The older sister walked slowly towards the door. She paused at the door and when Urala didn't call her back, she turned around.

"If you need me for anything," Kirala offered. "I'll be in my shop, sharpening my tools."

With a curt nod of her head, Kirala exited the tavern. That left Don staring at the dark tea in his dainty cup, Urala's eyes tearing holes into his head.

"You didn't think I was capable of killing a man? Is that what it is?" Don asked finally.

"No," Urala replied. "The ability to kill is inherent in human nature. It's what every individual chooses to do with those desires that should be the focus."

"And you're disgusted by what I chose to do," Don ventured.

"No," Urala said. "Look at me."

Don forced his eyes away from his tea and hesitantly met her gaze. Her eyes burned into his.

"What is this?" Urala asked quietly. From her apron, she pulled out a folded up piece of paper.

"Where did you get that?" Don demanded.

"Brabham," Urala answered. "He found it on the ground outside."

"I never meant for you to see that," Don mumbled. His eyes fell back to his tea.

"Look at me," Urala commanded. "If you never meant for me to see it, then why did you write it?"

Don complied and looked back up. How her face remained so smooth, yet was capable of radiating such fury was beyond him.

"You heard Captain Vyse," Don sighed. "The punishment for murder is usually execution. I thought I was going to die."

"Why would that make you write this?" she asked softly. "If you were going to die, why would you want for me to disgrace you?"

"I just wanted you to be happy," Don mumbled.

"And so you wrote that I should forget you," Urala said. "So that when your body turned to dust you would completely vanish from this world."

"It wasn't about me," Don insisted.

"It must be," Urala continued. "Even if I chose to forget about you, does that mean that I would be able to forget what loneliness feels like? Or emptiness?"

"I thought it was what would be best for you," Don argued.

"My sister seems to share those sentiments," Urala noted. "That I forget you. But shouldn't I be the one who decides what's best for me?"

"And what do you think is best for you?" Don asked. He sipped at his tea. It was cold.

"To be able to live my life as I choose," she said.

"Sounds like a good plan," Don replied. "Maybe I'll do that. I should get used to spending more time around the island now that I'm officially washed up."

"That may not be such a bad thing." Urala smiled. "You'll be around the tavern more."

"Is that an invitation?" Don asked.

Urala blushed scarlet and turned to the filthy dishes behind the bar. Don watched her as she worked, silent save for the clatter of silverware.

"I don't come to this bar for the moonberry tea," Don said.

Urala froze.

"The tea is horrible," Don continued. "I don't know why, but I like to be around you. You make me feel at peace."

She blinked. The girl looked dazed as she faced him.

"Urala?" Don asked.

She placed a small hand over his callused one and offered a slow smile.

"You're supposed to drink moonberry tea with milk and honey," Urala said. "That's why it tastes so bad."


	23. En Route

23 En Route:

"Leave it to Gilder to get himself into a mess." Vyse chuckled. "And in Glacia of all places."

In his Captain's quarters, he was making a few last minute arrangements. Fortunately, with Enrique vacationing on Crescent Isle, Vyse was able to pass temporary leadership of the island over to the young Emperor. His responsibilities freed up, Vyse was able to do what he did best, save the day.

He had chosen a small, select crew so that all duties aboard the Delphinus could be taken care of with ease while not substantially weakening the force on Crescent Isle. Pinta and Marco had anxiously accepted, while only after a few harsh words from Don would Khazim accompany Vyse's crew. Memories of Khazim's sardi stuffed sardis made Vyse give Urala a winning grin while asking the cook to accompany him for the journey. He was shocked when the normally timid girl smiled back and gave a firm "no thank you." Vyse had cut his losses and snagged a promise from Urala to prepare a month's worth of pot stickers, seaweed salad and inarizushi for the Delphinus' travels. Brabham and Fina finished off the crew nicely.

The young Captain gripped the hilt of his cutlass and struck an offensive stance. The blade gleamed from Fina's habit of polishing and tidying his belongings. Vyse noted that it was probably due a sharpening. He tucked the cutlass back into his belt and gathered the last few necessities into a travel sack. He glanced at the locked drawer in his desk and back at the sack. Vyse took the key from his pocket and opened the drawer, slipping Aika's diary into his travel sack. He was ready.

Down at the docks, the gruff sailor from the Claudia, Rodney, was waiting for Vyse. Rodney gave a curt salute before breaking into a swarthy grin.

"Hallo, Cap'in," Rodney greeted.

"What's the game plan?" Vyse asked.

"Search an' rescue, simple enough," Rodney replied. "The Claudia'll lead you to where Cap'in Gilder is an' then we start removing debris from the cave in. Miss Clara's already there, she demands hot chocolate."

Vyse laughed. "Is there anything else?"

"Got a sickly lad on board the Claudia," Rodney said. "Name's Leo. With Miss Fina's permission we dropped him off here in one o' Crescent Isle's spare rooms. The boy's just not cut out for Glacia's weather."

"Alright." Vyse nodded. "Let's head out."

"Aye, aye." Rodney grinned as he raced over to the Claudia.

Pinta greeted Vyse aboard the Delphinus immediately. The young Captain wasted little time before he was barking out orders for his crew. Brabham headed down to the engine room, Khazim took to pacing by a cannon, Pinta perched himself in the lookout and the rest of the small crew met around the steering wheel.

"Marco, take the wheel," Vyse commanded.

"But what about you?" Marco asked. "I thought you'd be steering."

Vyse chuckled. "I heard that you're pretty good at manning the wheel on your own," he replied. "Besides, I need to figure out how we're going to rescue Gilder."

"We've got the moonstone cannon," Marco said. "Why not use that?"

"Gilder's already stuck in a cave in," Vyse said. "That cannon might do more damage than help."

"Makes sense." Marco nodded.

As the engines rumbled to life, the boy cranked the wheel of the Delphinus left. The Valuan ship headed away from Crescent Isle and followed the Claudia South.

Vyse inhaled the salty air and noticed through the view port a school of sky sardis scatter as the Delphinus cut past it. The Captain headed towards the engine room with Fina right behind him.

"I'm going to talk to Brabham for a bit," Vyse informed the Silvite. "It's loud in the engine room; you might not want to come along for it."

Fina nodded. "Maybe I'll go to the Captain's quarters and tidy things up a bit. I'll help unpack your things for you."

"Thank you," Vyse said.

"Sure," Fina replied. With a smile, the girl turned around and walked off.

The rumbling of the engine became louder as Vyse neared the engine room. He thought to knock on the door, but figured he wouldn't be heard anyway.

Brabham was hunched over a two-stroke exhaust valve, eyeing it critically. Vyse tapped the old man on the shoulder. Brabham looked up to meet his Captain's grin with one of his own.

"Captain," Brabham called out over the roar of the engine. "What can I do for you?"

"I was thinking about what we're going to have to do to rescue Gilder." Vyse motioned to the door. "Let's talk outside."

Brabham nodded and the two left the engine room.

"What's on your mind?" the old man asked.

"Well, I know we can't just go blasting into the cave in with the moonstone cannon," Vyse began. "That will definitely cause more damage than good. I was thinking something along the lines of attaching large chunks of debris to the Delphinus with ropes and using the ship's engine to dislodge it. Do you think that would be possible?"

Brabham stroked his beard for a moment.

"The engine's certainly strong enough," he murmured. "I think it'll probably all depend on what the sight looks like when we get there."

"You think that some of the larger debris may be holding up the rest of it?" Vyse asked.

"That is a possibility," Brabham replied.

"Do we have anything onboard the Delphinus to build makeshift supports if that's the case?" Vyse wondered.

"Unless you thought to bring some, we might be forced to use something like the cots in the crew quarters," Brabham said.

"As long as it will work." Vyse nodded.

"Well, I should probably get back to the engines," Brabham said.

"You're right," Vyse replied. "Thanks for your help."

"Anytime, Captain." Brabham chuckled as he headed back into the engine room.

Vyse whistled as he strolled through the ship, reclaiming his sea legs. Pinta caught up with him and kept the Captain company while he made his rounds. Marco was both competent and confident enough behind the wheel, Brabham was doing what he did best and Khazim was busy polishing the cannons. It was clear sailing and all Vyse had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride, but the young Captain couldn't help but worry that they would reach Glacia in time to help Gilder.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the moons glowed in their full beauty. Supper would be soon and Vyse could only hope that Urala's food would hold up to Fina reheating it.

Vyse met up with Marco by the steering wheel and took over for the boy.

"Is something wrong?" Marco asked.

"Not at all," Vyse replied. "But I figured since you've been working so hard, you deserved to eat first. Grab Khazim and Pinta and the three of you eat supper. Afterwards, Brabham, Fina and I will eat."

"Aye, aye!" The boy saluted and ran off.

Vyse firmly gripped the wheel and guided the Delphinus after the Claudia. After years of dreaming of his own ship, it pleased him at how natural it felt beneath his fingers.

Falling back into old habits was easy and the time flying the Delphinus seemed to breeze by. It felt like mere moments when a relaxed and fed Marco returned to his post.

"Time for dinner, Captain," Marco said as he reclaimed the wheel.

"Thanks, Marco," Vyse replied.

"No problem," Marco said.

Vyse headed towards the Captain's quarters. If he was lucky, Fina would still be there and they could walk to the dining area together. He knocked before opening the door.

Fina was perched on his bed with Aika's diary in her lap. A frown was on her lips.

"Fina, it's time for supper," Vyse said.

Fina glanced up from the diary and her thoughts were displayed on her features.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Vyse asked.

"I just thought that since she was my friend too, I deserved to read it," Fina began. "I didn't realize."

"It's bizarre, isn't it?" Vyse walked over to the bed and sat next to Fina.

Fina propped her head lightly against Vyse's shoulder.

"Why are you doing this, Vyse?" she asked.

"Doing what?" He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed.

Fina lifted her head away from him. "I care for you. A lot," she admitted. "But are you here like this because you want to be, or because you're trying to fulfill Aika's wish?"

Vyse dropped his arm. "Truthfully, I don't know," he confessed. "It's not that I don't like you. I do, but, I don't know."

Fina drew his face to hers with a hand. Her lips grazed both of Vyse's cheeks softly before reaching his mouth. When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes.

"You're hurt," Fina whispered. "Heal. And when you do, come to me because you want me, not because of anything Aika wrote."

Vyse pulled the Silvite into a hug. "Thank you," he murmured. "Thank you."


	24. Treasure

24 Treasure:

"And if my sources are correct, we are in the throne room." Gilder smirked as stretched his muscles atop the gilded throne. "Does this look like a throne room to you?"

Aika whooped and jumped up and down in reply. She beamed as she slid down the frost covered marble hallway, Gilder's jacket billowing behind her small frame.

"Oh wow," Aika gushed. "Just look at the detailing on the armrests. It's all so ornate. And shiny!"

"Well, I'm rather pleased with our progress," Gilder declared.

"How much do you think that throne is worth?" Aika asked.

"Not nearly as much as the Atarah." Gilder grinned. "Let's find it. It should be hidden back behind the throne."

Gilder stood up and circled around to the back of the throne. The man's hands deftly patted down the chair, finding long untouched nooks until Gilder discovered what he was looking for. The wall behind them slid away as Gilder's fingers brushed over the hidden lever on the throne.

"Jackpot," Gilder murmured.

"I can't wait to get my hands on that Atarah!" Aika exclaimed.

"Then let's get to it," Gilder suggested.

The two explorers headed down the cobweb laden corridor behind the throne room. With every footfall, ancient lights came to life revealing their path. Gilder was content to saunter while Aika scampered ahead.

"Oh my gosh!" Aika cried. "Gilder, you need to see this room!"

"It'll still be there when I get there," Gilder replied. "It's already waited a couple hundred years for me."

"Don't be a goon!" Aika hollered. "Come in here and look at this."

The smooth marble walls and floor were cast in a purple light from ancient moonstones long forgotten. Aika waited impatiently for Gilder in the center of the circular room.

The Claudia's Captain found the girl tapping her foot irately. He chuckled at the seeming dead end.

"Well?" Aika demanded. "I don't see it. Where is it?"

"The Atarah should be found in the girl queen's sepulcher," Gilder answered. "Don't worry, it should be a room below."

"Well, let's get to it, then," Aika exclaimed.

In her excitement, she hopped up and down. Gilder raised an eyebrow as he noticed Aika land on a tile that was raised maybe a mere centimeter higher than the others. He was given the opportunity to sigh before the floor was torn out from under him.

Aika shrieked as they plummeted down a cobweb laden chute. The girl hit the ground a floor below with a thud only to break Gilder's fall with her tiny frame.

"That was one way to reach the room below," Gilder muttered.

"We need to stop doing that," Aika groaned.

"On the bright side, we're exactly where we need to be," Gilder replied.

"Lead the way, Captain," Aika said.

The two sailors dusted themselves off and continued with their exploration. They tromped through the long abandoned corridors, dodging cobwebs and careful of age worn tiles on the floor. Gilder acquired a moonstone torch from the wall and cautiously kept Aika behind him. They walked quietly down the hallway until they reached a door.

"And here we are," he murmured.

With a trained flick of Gilder's wrist, the solid stone door slid open to reveal the hidden tomb. As resplendent as the day the girl queen was first laid to rest, the moonstone floor was polished to a bright gleam.

The sarcophagus was in the center of the room, a moonstone mosaic in the child's likeness embedded into its white gold backdrop. While Gilder nodded his head in respect, the only thing that caught Aika's eye was what was perched delicately atop the sepulcher. They had found the Atarah.

"It's so beautiful," Aika murmured.

"Yeah," Gilder agreed as he plucked it up.

The older man's grin faltered as he examined it closely.

"It's so fake." He groaned.

"What?" Aika squawked.

"And it's a horrible replication," Gilder verified.

"How do you know?" Aika demanded.

"These aren't moonstones," Gilder pointed out. "They're glass."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Besides, even if I wasn't, there's another dead giveaway."

Gilder flipped the tiara around to reveal the inside of the headband. Crudely etched into the metal was: "Z. Bane."

"You've got to be kidding me," Aika muttered.

"If only." Gilder chuckled. "Seeing as it's worthless, why don't you just keep it? No sense in us divvying up this booty."

"What am I going to do with this thing?" Aika grumbled.

"Wear it." Gilder smirked. "Like a princess."

Aika scowled as Gilder dropped the worthless tiara onto her head. She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. Gilder laughed.

"I'm sure my boys have carved a path out for us by now," Gilder said. "We should probably head back up where we came from."

"I only wish we had some real treasure to show them," Aika grumbled.

"Cheer up," Gilder retorted dryly. "We still have this enjoyable vacation in frigid Glacia to treasure always."

"Maybe your cook will have some of that koketa soup left," Aika hoped.

"Only one way to find out." Gilder grinned. "Let's go."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

The two left the tiny crypt and headed back down the hallway. When they reached the trap door's chute, Aika quickly clambered up it using her boomerang to dig into the slick marble. Gilder followed, his hands finding the grooves left by Aika's boomerang.

Aika waited for Gilder to emerge through the trapdoor. As soon as the older man hoisted his body up to the ground floor, Aika was on his heels as they backtracked out of the ruins.

Her leg muscles ached from their hike by the time they made it to the resting place of their damaged life raft, but Aika was pleased with their progress. Outside light that seeped through a small hole in the collapsed wall of ice also did wonders for the girl's spirit.

"Hey!" Gilder called out. "Is anybody out there?"

"Gilder?" A feminine voice squealed from the other side. "Is that really you? Are you really okay?"

Gilder blanched and shook his head.

"Of all the people it had to be Clara," he muttered. "I think I was better off with the fake Atarah and Queen's corpse."

Aika socked him in the arm and snorted as she adjusted the tiara on her head.

"One more negative thing about Clara out of your mouth and I'll throttle you," she said. "Besides, the Atarah's mine. You gave it to me."

"Good point," Gilder allowed. "But I only gave it to you because it suits you better than me."

"I don't know about that." Aika giggled. "I think you'd make a lovely princess."

"I bet you do," Gilder replied. "Let's see how much longer this is going to take."

Gilder stifled an involuntary shudder as he noticed that Clara's face was perched in the medium sized hole in the wall. She flashed the man of her dreams a delighted smile.

"I was so worried about you!" Clara exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're alright. I've got piping hot cocoa waiting. Hang on and we'll have you out in a jiffy!"

In an instant, Clara's head disappeared to be replaced with the Glacian sky. Gilder sighed as he heard the Primrose's Captain calling out several orders.

"So you're going to be heading home after this, huh?" Gilder asked Aika.

"Yeah, I guess so," Aika murmured.

"What do you plan on doing there?" Gilder asked.

Aika laughed. "The first thing I'll probably have to do is apologize to everyone for being an idiot."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Gilder replied.

"What makes you say that?" Aika asked.

"Just a hunch," Gilder said.

"A hunch?" Aika raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a hunch." Gilder propped a cigarette into his mouth. "People can be a lot more understanding than they're given credit for."

"You better not be planning on lighting that thing," Aika warned.

"You won't even allow a condemned man one last cigarette?" Gilder asked.

"You're ridiculous," Aika scoffed.

"So is Clara," Gilder pointed out.

"Get over yourself," Aika said.

"You ask a lot," Gilder muttered.

Aika stuck out her tongue.

_"Cutlass Fury!"_

The two's friendly spat was interrupted by a large crash. A path large enough for a grown man was carved through the ice and rock. The familiar voice had Aika clutching Gilder's arm like a frightened little child. The older man chuckled before he brushed away Aika's grasp and strolled out.

The girl took a deep breath, straightened her tiara and followed after Gilder.

Outside, surrounded by Nara, Lilly and Belle, Clara had wrapped Gilder up in her arms and pressed the man's head against her chest. While Lilly poured some hot chocolate from a thermos, Clara cooed about her darling Gilder's misadventure. Gilder was trying futilely to light the cigarette clamped in his teeth before he suffocated on Clara's ample bosom.

Aika ignored them. The only thing that held her attention was the blade still pointed at the ground after its powerful swing and the strong hands that held the blade.

Vyse.

It was still the same old Vyse. His careless brown hair was caught in the wind and he still wore the same winning smile. His eyes did look peculiar. Colder than usual. But it was Vyse and that was a welcome sight indeed.

Her stomach twisted into a knot, but Aika pressed forward. She snaked her hands behind her back and began to wring them together.

His eyes caught sight of her and he nodded. Aika had hoped for a smile, or maybe anything that would convey that he had worried about her. The girl forced a grin to her lips, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

"So Don ran into you during his travels," Vyse noted.

"Yeah," Aika sighed. "Did he tell you? He promised not to."

"No, he didn't break his promise," Vyse said. "I nearly killed him because of it. I just assumed when I saw you that's where he got his information."

"You didn't kill him, though," Aika replied.

"No," Vyse murmured. "Fina helped me see the error of that thinking."

"Fina," Aika whispered. "Is she here?"

"Yeah, aboard the Delphinus," Vyse answered. "She'll probably be down soon."

"So are you and she?"

"No."

"No?" Aika swallowed hard. "Don't you love her?"

"I don't know," Vyse said truthfully.

"Do you love me?" she ventured.

"I don't know," Vyse replied. "Things like that take time, not a staged death."

"I never tried to stage anything!" Aika argued.

Her exclamations were stilled by Vyse's grip on her chin. He pulled her head up to look him directly in the eyes. Not since that day years ago when he risked his own life for hers and earned that scar beneath his left eye had he ever looked so serious.

"You were dead to me," he whispered. "Do you have any idea what that felt like?"

"I never meant for—"

"Never again," Vyse interrupted. "I want you to promise me right now. Talk to me, talk to anyone, talk to a koketa; just don't go running off ever again."

"I just wanted you to be happy," Aika mumbled.

"Why would I be happy to hear that my best friend's dead?" Vyse asked.

"Aika!"

Vyse dropped his hand as Fina ran over to the two. The Silvite threw her arms around the red haired girl, tears flowing freely.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Fina sobbed. "It's really you, isn't it?"

Aika giggled sheepishly before returning Fina's embrace.

"I'm sorry, Fina," Aika apologized. "I've just been really stupid lately."

"To see you safe," Fina sniffled. "I'm so glad to see you well."

Aika gave Fina one last squeeze before she looked back up at Vyse.

"So where does that leave us?" she asked.

Vyse shrugged. "Back where we started, I guess. Can you handle that?"

"I guess," Aika replied.

"I mean it," Vyse said. "No more running off."

"Alright!" Aika exclaimed. "Let's get off this rock already!"

"We can do that," Vyse agreed.

The three headed towards the Delphinus. Abandoned to his fate, Gilder grudgingly accepted a mug of hot chocolate before inevitably escaping Clara's clutches. But the day was young and the sky was crystal blue, perfect for sailing. And sail they did.


End file.
